Depressed
by roo17
Summary: Ace lost everything but his brother. So why is he suddenly acting so cold towards Luffy? SPOILERS for chapter 561! No pairings this time.
1. Chapter 1: Recovery

Depressed  
Chapter 1: Recovery

Edited12/20/10

**Summary: Ace had lost everyone and everything but his brother at Impel Down. But why is he acting so cold towards Luffy now?**  
**Pairings: None.**  
**Rating: T for blood and disturbance.**  
**Warning: Childhood unhappiness. Um… yeah… This takes place after Impel Down and after Luffy regroups with his crew. (Once again, Franky and Brook will not be in here. I just don't know why I can't get their personalities down...)**

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Luffy sat by the side of Ace's bed, his dark chocolate eyes filled with concern and worry. His doctor Chopper said Ace had some pretty serious internal injuries that had grown worse over time. Apparently Blackbeard had done quite a beating on Ace. And Impel Down didn't help much either. Chopper also said that the wound Akainu inflicted on Ace had almost been completely fatal, and if it weren't for the fact that it was treated immediately, it would have killed him. Luffy continued to stare at Ace. He had lost everything: Whitebeard, Marco, his old and new crew members, all his friends. It was a miracle itself that Luffy and Ace even got out alive. Luffy pushed some hairs out of Ace's freckled face and bandaged forehead. His eyes were swollen, a sign that showed he had been crying. He remembered Ace crying on the scaffold back at Marine Headquarters. He couldn't really hear what he had been saying at the time, but it apparently upset Ace and Garp a lot. Luffy stopped and thought for a second, his brows furrowing. What could have possibly upset them so much, to the point where Ace would cry? Ace had always been a good kid, right? Or at least he was when he was around Luffy. A knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts. Zoro walked in with a tray of soup and looked at Luffy. His captain had multiple bandages on his arms and one wrapped around his chest under his shirt. Also, his left leg was completely bandaged.

"Hey, how is he?"

"He still hasn't opened his eyes…" Zoro stood there in silence for a few seconds.

"I brought you lunch."

"I'm not hungry."

"Luffy, you haven't eater for two days since you woke up. You need to eat so you can keep up your strength."

"I'm not hungry," Luffy insisted. Zoro gave a sigh and set the tray down on a table beside Luffy. He walked to the doorway and turned around.

"Ace wouldn't want you to worry like this. He would want you to eat something. That way if you need to protect him, you can." He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Luffy stared at the door for a while before looking at the soup and then to Ace.

"I'll eat then… if it means protecting you." He ate his soup slowly, never leaving Ace's side.

The next day was no different. Ace still hadn't woken up from his sleep yet. And Luffy still stayed with him, only leaving to use the restroom. He took his seat next to Ace again and rested his hand on his brother's. "Please, Ace, wake up." He received on response. On the fourth day, Luffy's mind began to race with ideas on what could possibly be wrong with Ace. Could he be in a coma? Is he a vegetable now? Will he ever wake up? On the fifth day, Luffy started to become frantic. His mind had settled on Ace being in a coma and now waking up. His crew tried to comfort him, but nothing helped. By the seventh day, Chopper thought Luffy was gonna have a heart-attack. He wouldn't stop pacing by his brother's side, a constant look of worry on his face. Then, on the eighth day, Ace opened his eyes. A great feeling of relief washed over Luffy immediately.

"Chopper! Chopper, he's awake!" Luffy rejoiced. Chopper came in and did his tests and checkups and shots on Ace. He concluded that Ace's wounds were healing good, but he should still refrain from stress and working out. "Can I speak to him alone, please?"

"Sure, just don't upset him too much or anything," ordered Chopper, giving his captain a stern look. "If you do, I'll have to restrict you from seeing him."

"Don't worry Chopper, I won't." Chopper eased up a little and nodded, exiting the room the give the D brother's their privacy. Luffy looked over at Ace and grinned. "How are you feeling?"

"A little sore." Ace's voice was rasped from the lack of water and speaking. "And you?"

"I'm all healed already. You gave me a scare, Ace. You wouldn't wake up for a while. And Chopper told me how serious your wounds were, so I started to think…" Luffy's voice trailed off. Ace gave a small chuckle which turned in to a cough.

"Sorry Lu." Luffy smiled. "So… where's Whitebeard and the crew?" Luffy's smile disappeared. What was he gonna say? How would he tell Ace Whitebeard and the crew are gone? That man had practically became Ace's father. Luffy opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Ace quickly caught on. "They didn't make it, did they…" Luffy slowly shook his head. "Oh…" In the back of his mind, Ace knew they weren't gonna make it. Whitebeard had gotten too old to be doing stuff like taking on Marine Headquarters. And the crew wouldn't stand a chance against all the marines, admirals and shichibukais. Ace's hands curled into fists. "Dammit!" He slammed his fist against the wall, surprising Luffy.

"Ace…"

"Go."

"What? No, I wanna stay by your side."

"_Go_, Luffy."

"No."

"Luffy…" Ace growled. Luffy swallowed, but didn't move.

"I'm not going–"

_"Dammit Luffy, just go!"_ Ace hissed. Luffy bit his lip and looked at the ground.

"…Okay, I'll go," he replied softly as he slowly got up and walked outside onto the deck. Chopper came running up to him, followed by the rest of the crew.

"Luffy, what happened?"

"Why was Ace shouting?"

"I told him about Whitebeard… And he got really mad…"

"I better go check on him." Chopper started to make his way to the sick bay when Luffy grabbed his arm.

"Leave him, Chopper. If he wants to be alone, let him be alone."

"But what if you opens hi–"

"Chopper." Luffy looked at the ground. "This is one recovery he'll have to do alone." Sanji tapped his cigarette.

"You hungry, Luffy?"

"No, I lost my appetite. I'll be sleeping if anyone needs me." The crew watched Luffy walk into the men's quarters.

"Seeing his brother like this must be killing him inside," stated Usopp. A loud bang came from the sick bay.

"I guess we should leave Ace alone for a few more hours…"

"You're probably right, Zoro."

"Wow, Zoro actually said something smart…"

"Shut up, crappy cook." The crew headed into the kitchen for some lunch.

~Inside the sick bay~

Ace gave a death glare at the wall as he sat there sitting up. _'Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit! If they hadn't come to save, none of them would be dead right now!'_ Ace slammed his fist against the bed. _'If only I wasn't so weak! …If only I wasn't born! If I wasn't born, none of this would have happened at all!'_

When Ace had starting crying on the execution platform, a few emotions had run through his head.

Sadness, because all his friends and family were dying all around him. He had watched so many die in front of his eyes. All he could do was watch as most of his friends were slain by the marines. It tore at his heart to see many of his old nakama cry his name out as they took their breath.

Happiness, because he knew he was loved so much was being rescued. He friends confessing their friendly love towards him, it made his heart pound with happiness. Though it was an inappropriate time, he just wanted to cry and smile, and thank everyone for loving him.

Anger, because he knew he never should have went after Blackbeard alone. He knew it was his own damn fault for not listening to his father. But then again, he didn't know Blackbeard had eater the stolen devil fruit and the thought of losing never even crossed his mind. Yes, he knew it was his own cockiness that got him in the whole mess.

And finally: Enjoyment. He looked around and saw everyone and thing _dying _right before his eyes. And, for some sick and disgusting reason, he actually _enjoyed_ it. He _enjoyed _beating up all those adults when he was little. He _enjoyed _watching his friends die before his very own eyes; swords protruding from their stomachs and chests. It send a tingling sensation throughout his body, a smile creeping upon his face. The way the blood spewed from each body and wound, he found it so amazing, so fascinating.

And right now, while he was in bed, he _wished _he could see everyone dying again. Even when he was a child, he loved to watch things die and suffer. He enjoyed it because, sometimes, he _wished_ he was the thing that _dying_ and _suffering_. Ever since all the townsfolk said Roger should be dead, doesn't that mean Ace should be dead too? After all, that scums blood ran through his body. Ace felt disgusted with himself. It started to seem everywhere he went, people got hurt around him. After all, didn't he just snap at Luffy not too long ago?

Ace knew a lot of things, but the thing he knew the most at the moment was that no matter what type of medicine he was given, nothing could make him recover from the evil thoughts he now had in his mind.

**XxXxX  
****Okay, so that's the re-edited version! I hope you guys liked it a little better! ^^ Thanks for reading and thanks for all the wonderful reviews!**

_The darkness I liveth, the darkness I love  
__~roo the vampire_


	2. Chapter 2: Changes

Depressed  
Chapter 2: Changes  
Edited: 12/21/10

**Summary: Luffy starts to notice many changes in Ace.**

**XxDxX  
****Damaged by life, excited by death.  
****-Unknown  
****XxDxX**

_Ace knew a lot of things, but the thing he knew the most at the moment was that no matter what type of medicine he was given, nothing could make him recover from the evil thoughts he now had in his mind._

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* * *

_

Ace stared at the sun-rising sky on the Merry Go; multiple seagulls flying by the sailing ship. The way the different colors were mixed in the ocean from sun reminded Ace of his once closest friend Marco. He remembered the way he used to make fun of his pineapple shaped hair as Marco made fun of Ace's freckled face. Those were the good times, the fun times. Now, everything seemed to be so dull, so dark, and so very empty. Ace wondered if he would ever find a crew like that again. One where the captain was a father-like figure and the crew members were your brothers and sisters. One where, no matter who you were or who you were related to, would always take you in as family and love you, care for you. But Ace doubted he would. Whitebeard's crew was one of a kind, one that could _never_ be replaced. Ace sighed, the only thing he had really done since yesterday.

Luffy stood by the mast and watched Ace closely. All he really wanted was to go over and comfort his brother, but he knew that if he tried to, Ace would just push him away. It was one of the things Ace had always done since he was a child. When he was mad or sad, he always pushed others away. He never allowed anyone in, to help ease the pain. Luffy pushed away from the mast and took a step forward, his straw hat resting on his back. "Hey, Ace?" He received no reply. "Are you hungry? I could ask Sanji to make you something to eat since breakfast won't be done for a while." Still to response. Luffy took another step forward. "Ace, listen. I know–" Suddenly, Ace's head turned towards Luffy's direction quickly and the face Ace was giving sent shivers down his spine. Have you ever seen the face a murderer has when he's angry, or pissed, or ready to kill you? Well, it was one of those faces. His eyes were so harsh, and his face was so tense. Luffy gulped and stared back, fear running in the back of his mind. He could feel a cold sweat start to come on. He opened his mouth to say something, but found it unusually dry. _'Why am I so afraid of him all of a sudden?' _He averted his eyes to the floor, sweat trickling down his neck. _'That look he's giving me… it's almost like he's not even the say person now…'_

"I- I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything." His voice came out shaky, as if he was about to cry. Ace narrowed his eyes then looked back at the sunrise, ignoring Luffy once more. As soon as Luffy turned his back, he felt like running. Running as far away as he could from his only brother.

Nami and Zoro were already in the kitchen when Luffy walked in quickly. They looked up at him and noticed him looking rather spooked. "Luffy, you okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied, sitting down next to Zoro. "What are you guys doing up so early?"

"I'm always up this early." Zoro said.

"I had to get up early to study the location of the next island. What about you?"

"I couldn't sleep." Luffy put his head down on the table with a 'thump.' "Hey, has Ace said anything to you guys?"

"No, not a word. He was up before I was. I think he might have stayed out there all night." Zoro yawned. "When I asked him if he slept, he just ignored me."

_'At least he didn't give you a death-look.'_ Luffy thought. _'If looks could kill, that look would have killed me a thousand times over.'_

"–nary? Luffy? You there?" Nami asked, waving her hand in front of Luffy's face. He blinked and shook his head.

"What?"

"Are. You. Hun. Gry."

"Oh, no. Sorry, I was thinking about something." Nami gave him a worried look.

"Luffy, you haven't eaten since yesterday. You should really eat." Luffy was about to protest when his stomach growled loudly.

"Okay~! I'm hungry!" Zoro chuckled as Nami stood up and walked over to the stove.

"Good. I'll make you something small to eat till Sanji wakes up." Zoro stood up and walked over to the door, sitting down right next to it. He yawned, then very quickly fell asleep.

Sanji slept peacefully in his hammock, his blanket keeping him so warm as he dreamt of Nami and Robin at the beach. Nami was just about to take off her top to sunbathe when Sanji suddenly awoke. He heard noise coming from the kitchen and the smell of food cooking hit his nose. _'Dammit Luffy… I was in the middle of a wonderful dream!'_ He got out of his hammock and put on his blue stripped shirt and black pants. _'If I find you eating, you are so dead.'_ Sanji ran up onto deck and saw Ace standing near the railing spacing out.

"Oi, Ace! You hungry?" But, of coarse, no response. He shrugged and slammed the kitchen door open, nailing Zoro right in the face. "Luffy! I said no eating until I serve–"

"It's okay Sanji-kun. I made Luffy something to eat until you got up." Sanji instantly swooned.

"Oh Nami-san~! I could have made it for him~! A woman should never stress herself in the kitchen~." Nami was about to say something, but the kitchen door slammed shut. Luffy and Nami looked over Sanji's shoulder to see a pissed off Zoro; a small line of blood running from his nose. He grabbed Sanji by the collar and stared him in the face.

"What the _hell_ was that for?" Zoro shouted.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sanji growled. Zoro snarled and pulled out his katana as Sanji attempted to kick his head. "You shitty Marimo!"

"Crappy cook!" Sanji threw a kick for Zoro's shoulder, but missed as the swordsman dodged, hitting the kitchen door instead. The door flew off the hinges and flew across the deck. Nami stood up to stop the fight when Luffy spoke up.

"Just let them fight this out. We've all had a lot of stress lately and this is how they release theirs." Nami nodded and sat back down. As the two took the fight onto the deck, Luffy got up to watch. He needed something like this to take his mind off of Ace. The sound of swords and kicks clashing echoed across the almost empty deck. The two fighters continued their duel, unaware they were growing closer and closer to the logia user. When Sanji kicked at Zoro, Zoro used his sword to redirect the kick to the side, not knowing it was now heading towards Ace's neck. Sanji realized this too late and could stop the kick quick enough. Luffy's eyes suddenly widened.

"Ace! Look–" Ace's hand flew up and caught Sanji's kick no problem, his arm barely budging at the impact. He looked at Sanji who quickly lowered his leg.

"Sorry Ace. We didn't mean to bother," Ace gave a small nod. Zoro and Sanji walked back towards the kitchen, leaving Luffy to stare at his brother in awe. _'He stopped the kick so quickly and easily… I must have underestimated by own brother's strength.' _Then another thought popped into Luffy's mind. _'Why didn't Ace glare at Sanji and Zoro too? It was almost as if he was enjoying their company. Or their fighting.'_ Luffy frowned. Ace did like to fight, but he never really _enjoyed_ it. He enjoyed sparring, yes. But fighting and sparring were two different things. Ace looked over to Luffy again and gave him the same look as before. More shivers ran down Luffy's spine as he walked quickly back into the kitchen.

Over the next half hour, Luffy slept at the kitchen table until breakfast was ready. Sanji ran down to men's quarters and announced breakfast was ready. He gave a small knock on the door to the woman's quarters to wake Robin up.

"Robin-chan, breakfast is ready."

"Thank you cook-san. I'll be there in a moment." As soon as everyone was at the table, Sanji gave everyone their breakfast plate. (Which consisted of eggs, bacon and toast, but in "chef-style") He then headed out onto the deck. With a plate in one hand and a glass of water in the other, he headed towards Ace's direction.

"Oi, Ace. I brought you some breakfast." Ace made no movement whatsoever. "I'll just leave it here if you get hungry." Ace stared at the plate of food as Sanji put it on the railing and left. He sighed, picked up the plate, and began to eat.

Over the next few hours after breakfast, Luffy stood against the mast and just stared at Ace again. Every now and then, Ace would walk from one side of the ship to the other, for what reason, Luffy did not know. But Luffy wouldn't really call it walking. It was more like Ace was wandering around the ship, like a ghost wandering old empty halls. He never spoke, hardly payed attention to his surroundings, barely moved. Ace had become so different over the last day. So cold, lonely and quiet. _'Maybe I should try to make a conversation with him.'_ But a little voice in the back of Luffy's mind didn't like that idea. _'Why am I so afraid to talk to him? I've grown up with him, I know he won't hurt me.'_ Luffy took a deep breath and walked over to Ace.

No matter what, Luffy was going to get Ace through this faze. He was gonna get his brother back. Luffy made a promise with himself that, no matter what, even if it _kills_ him, he would help his brother get better.

**_XxXxX  
_****_There's the second re-edited version! I hope you guys are enjoying it so far. And once again, thank you all for the wonderful reviews!_**

_The darkness I liveth, the darkness I love_

_~roo the vampire_


	3. Chapter 3: The Unexpected

Depressed  
Chapter 3: The Unexpected  
Edited: 12/21/10

**Summary: Ace does something that Luffy thought would never happen. How till it affect Luffy?**

**XxDxX  
****A disturbed mind can lash out when it's least expected.  
****-Unknown  
****XxDxX**

_No matter, Luffy was going to get Ace through this faze. He was gonna get his brother back. Luffy made a promise with himself that, no matter what, even it if kills him, he would help his brother get better._

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_

Luffy bit his lip as he headed towards his brother, each step brining him closer and closer to his newest fear. He was still mad at himself for being afraid of Ace, his own brother. But on the defense side, he _did_ give that killing look. So that means it's okay to be afraid of Ace then, right? _'What do I say when I reach him? What if he doesn't even answer me? And why the hell am I still afraid of him?'_

_'Because you know he's not the same Ace as you knew. This Ace belongs to the darkness.'_ Answered another voice in his head. Luffy stopped dead in his tracks, more sweat appearing on his neck. He knew that voice. It was the evil voice that always laid in the back of his mind. Everyone had one, no matter how much they denied it. Once you were a bad situation, the voice would always surface. Luffy always heard that voice when he was in a battle, or a tight situation.

_'Get out of my head, voice. Now's not the time.'_

_'Oh, but I think it is. You know he's not the same, and never will be the same.'_ The voice laughed, causing Luffy to shut his eyes tightly and block out the voice. He sighed, opened his eyes, and forced a fake smile on his face as he rested his arms against the railing beside Ace. He took a look behind him to see who was where on the deck. He only saw Zoro, who was laying against the wall napping. He figured everyone else was either in the kitchen or in their quarters. Luffy faced his brother again and smiled, his eyes slightly shaky.

"Hey Ace. How ya feeling?" No response. "Are your wounds healing well?"

"…Yes." Luffy was surprised to hear a reply that time. His voice sounded a little rasped, probably from the lack of speaking. At least he was talking to Luffy, right?

"That's good to hear." Luffy said in a cheerily voice. Over against the wall, Zoro cracked an eye open to peek at the two brothers. Luffy shifted his weight onto his right leg and played with his thumbs nervously. "So, um, Ace?" Ace's eyes shifted towards Luffy. Though they were still glaring, Luffy kept the smile on his face. _'He's still glaring… but at least it's not as bad as the last two.'_ Luffy stared into this brother's blue eyes. (I know his eyes are brown, but I like his eyes better as blue. Sorry.) "Do you wanna walk around the ship?"

"…No."

"Okay…" Luffy quickly tried to think of something to talk about to break the awkward silence. He looked at the water; the way it shimmered in the afternoon sun was almost blinding. "Isn't the water beautiful today? It just makes me want to jump in and swim if I could. Don't you agree, Ace?" His brother made no reply, but continued to stare into Luffy's chocolaty eyes. Luffy smiled brightly and Ace's eyes narrowed quickly. Then, suddenly, Ace turned towards Luffy. He then did something Luffy never expected.

Ace punched him. _Hard_.

Luffy was flown across the deck and into the nearest wall, only a few feet from Zoro. The swordsman quickly reacted by rushing to his captain's side, helping him up. Luffy had crashed through the wall completely, now putting him in the kitchen.

"Luffy! Luffy, look at me! Are you okay?" Luffy never answered. He didn't even move. He couldn't hear or feel anything except the burning pain he felt in his cheek and back. He could taste the blood that now laid quietly on his tongue. He stared through the hole in the wall at his brother, who gave him that same death glare from before except only worse. Soon the entire crew was at his side, asking him question he couldn't hear.

"Luffy, what happened?"

"Are you okay? Say something!" But he just stared blankly at his brother, who stared right back. His mouth was nearly full of blood now as his poured out of the gash in his left cheek. He didn't know what happened. One second he was by his brother's side, the next he was in the kitchen on the ground. It wasn't until then did it click in his mind. His brother just punched him. His only brother…

"Ace…" Blood ran over his lip and down the side of his chin as he spoke the familiar name.

"Luffy, you're bleeding!" Chopper yelled. Tears swelled up in Luffy's eyes which silently poured down his soft rubbery cheeks a few seconds later. The crew grew quiet as they saw this. He fell to his knees, his arms hanging loosely at his sides.

"Ace…" More blood ran down his chin, just as more tears ran down his cheek as he said the once comforting name again. Zoro, who's eyes were filled with hatred now, looked at Ace and his way towards him.

"Zoro, what are you doing," Nami asked worriedly.

"Zoro, just leave him alone," Usopp shouted.

"What the hell was that for?" He asked Ace, who just stared at him. His hand curled into a fist and was ready to punch Ace when he heard his captain's broken voice.

"No, Zoro!" Zoro stared at his captain who was still on the kitchen floor. "Don't hurt him."

"Luffy, open your eyes! He just sent you through a fucking wall for reason or hesitation!"

"It's not his fault."

Luffy!" Zoro shouted.

"Zoro, you don't have to be so protective of me," Luffy said almost in a whisper.

"Luffy, you're my captain. I'll kill anyone who harms you, even if it's your own brother who's having fucking mood problems." Ace's eyes narrowed, but a small grin came upon his face. There it was: the fighting/arguing he loved to see. The first mate and captain argued for a few more minutes.

"Fine, but don't come to me if he sends you through another wall."

"Zoro!" Nami gasped. "You don't mean that, right?" Zoro said nothing as he walked into the men's quarters. Luffy stood up and looked at Usopp.

"Do you think you and Chopper could fix this up?" He pointed towards the hole in the wall.

"Of coarse we can, Luffy! I'm the best repairer in the east blue!" Usopp pointed out.

"Really?" Chopper asked.

"Thanks. I'll be taking if anyone needs me," Luffy said, almost in a cheery voice as if nothing was wrong. Before he climbed up the ladder, he looked at the wall. "Ooh, I made a pretty big hole! My bad." He smiled, laughed, and ran up to the crows nest. As soon as he reached the top, his smile faded quickly as he stared into the ocean. He couldn't believe Ace did that. Ace had never done something like that before without a reason… So why the sudden change of mood? He hadn't said anything to offend him, right? Luffy sighed and kept his eyes on the horizon for any ships or islands they may come across.

Ace's eyes were once again focused on the oceans waves. _'Beautiful? There is no such thing as beautiful. There's only death and darkness, nothing else. No love, no beautify, no life. All who believe in such things as happiness and dreams must die… slowly and painfully…'_

_**XxXxX  
**__**I wanted to make Zoro punch Ace sooo badly, but I knew I couldn't put it that way… Damn. XD So i still hope you're enjoying this! Thank you for all the reviews once again!**_

_The darkness I liveth, the darkness I love_

_~roo the vampire_


	4. Chapter 4: Understanding

**Okay, the results are in!  
Sorry Kitsune, but the outcome was no pairing.  
Don't worry though! I'm coming out with a AcexLuffy story soon!  
Thanks for all the reviews everyone!  
Thank you! =]**

Depressed  
Chapter Four: Understanding

**EDITED 4/4/10**

**Summary: Despite what happened yesterday, Luffy still insists on helping his brother, even if he might be the one who needs help.**

**XXDXX  
Understanding someone's feelings is easy. Understanding a disturbed mind is quite near impossible.  
-Unknown  
XXDXX**

_Ace's eyes were once again focused on the oceans waves. 'Beautiful? There is no such thing as beautiful. There's only death and darkness. No love, no beauty, no life. All who believe in such things as happiness and dreams must die...slowly and painfully...'_

* * *

Luffy didn't know how many hours passed until he woke up, but from the color of the sky, he guessed he was asleep for at least five hours. He sleepily sat up and yawned, flinching at the pain in his cheek. Apparently he didn't notice that Ace had hit him quite that hard. Well, he _did_ send him through a wall after all, didn't he? Luffy's face saddened when he looked down at Ace and saw that he hadn't moved a muscle. Almost as if Ace knew he was being watched, he turned his head up towards Luffy, their eyes meeting for a second. Luffy quickly looked away, his breath irregular. _'Calm down, Luffy.'_ Luffy closed his eyes and took in deep breaths. His fear of his brother grew worse while he was asleep. Luffy frowned at this. It felt odd being afraid of his brother. Then again, his brother never sent him through a wall before. Luffy sighed and slightly banged the back of his head against a piece of wood multiple times. _'Stupid, stupid, stupid me.'_ Luffy sighed again. He hadn't been feeling himself since Ace woke up.

_'Maybe Ace shouldn't have woken up...'_ Said that evil little voice. Luffy's eyes slightly widened.

_'Shut up you stupid voice! I love Ace! I would never wish something like that!'_ Luffy yelled back in his mind. _'Even if he did punch me, I will still protect him with my life!'_ Luffy waited for the voice to reply, but nothing came. Good. Luffy's stomach growled. He knew what that meant.

"Sanji~!" He called out, pretending to be cheery. "I'm hungry~!"

"Then hurry up and get down here! Dinner's ready!" In one swift motion, Luffy jumped from the crows nest and landed safely on the deck. "That was quick." Sanji commented.

"Meat~! Pork~! Chicken~! Fish~!" Luffy chanted as he ran into the kitchen.

"Oi, hands off the food until Robin-san gets here! Oi!" Sanji kicked Luffy aside and prepared everyones plate.

"Oh cook-san?" Robin asked, entering the kitchen with Nami and Chopper. "Is dinner ready?"

"Yes Robin-chwan!" Sanji swooned, hearts appearing from no where. Not far behind them was Zoro and Usopp, waiting to get into the kitchen to eat. Once everyone was seated, Sanji passed out the plates. First to Robin, then Nami. Chopper was next, followed by Usopp and Zoro. Finally, he gave Luffy his plate. As soon as that was done, he made two more plates: one for him, and one for Ace. He walked outside onto the deck, his footsteps echoing all around. He set the plate down on the railing.

"Here's dinner." He then simply walked away. He was still mad at Ace for he did to Luffy, and wished Zoro would have at least got _one_ punch on him. But he knew Ace wasn't acting this way cause he wanted to. It's usually hard to deal with the loss of a loved one. But in this case, Ace had lost multiple loved ones all in one day. That was extremely difficult to deal with. Sanji took out a cigarette and lit it, throwing the used match into his pocket. He was gonna say something to Ace, but was soon cut off when he heard an all to familiar voice call for him.

"Sanji~! More food~!"

"Coming Luffy." Sanji forgot all about Ace as soon as he walked into the kitchen.

XXAXX  
Ace's eyes stared at the kitchen door. He seemed disgusted the way Luffy's voice sounded so cheery and lively. Ace hated it. The more nice things he heard or saw, the more rage he felt swell up in his mind. He grip the railing tightly, then headed up to the crows nest to get some sleep; not even caring to eat dinner.  
XXDXX

Luffy slept well that night, though all he could dream about was Ace. It was so odd, the way Ace was always so happy just seemed to vanish. There was no more smiles from him, no more laughs or giggles. He had completely changed.

And that scared Luffy more than anything.

Luffy was never fond of huge changes. He was fine with the small changes in life, like finding new crew members and friends. But Ace had _completely_ changed! That would be like Zoro turning _gay_! Though he was dreaming, Luffy shivered at the thought. _'The day Zoro goes gay is the day he asks Sanji out...And if that should ever happen, it would probably be the end of the world!'_ Luffy shivered again. He couldn't _even_ imagine Zoro and Sanji going out. It was the against the law of nature itself! Soon, Luffy fell into a very deep sleep, dreaming about his childhood with Ace.

XXDXX

It was morning and Luffy was the second one up, Zoro always being the first. When he walked onto deck, his heart skipped a beat. He didn't see Ace in sight. Luffy started to panic. "A-Ace?" He called.

"He's in the crow nest sleeping." Zoro answered, lifting some weights near the kitchen. Luffy was amazed that he didn't even notice Zoro there. He looked at the kitchen wall and noticed the huge hole was repaired. Luffy didn't notice that last night when he was eating...

"Oh..." There was a silence between the two for a while. Zoro wasn't gonna try to start a conversation. He was still mad at Luffy, so he just kept his mouth shut tightly. When Luffy heard a 'thud', he turned and saw that Ace had jumped from the crows nest and onto the deck. "Hey Ace." Ace just ignored Luffy and went straight for the railing again. Luffy's mood suddenly changed as he sighed. "I'm going back to sleep." And that's exactly what Luffy did. When he woke up an hour later, everyone else was already awake. "They're eating breakfast without me." Luffy frowned. He jumped out of his hammock quickly, and ran straight for the kitchen. Sure enough, they had starting eating breakfast without him. Once again, he quickly took a seat at the table and asked for his food in a fake cheery voice. He inhaled his first plate in seconds, asking for more. Sanji grumbled and gave him more food.

"That's the rest of it." Luffy inhaled that too, still hungry. Luffy pouted for more food, but Sanji insisted that there was no more food. Luffy huffed a little. He didn't know why but...he felt like talking to Ace. _'I must be nuts.'_ Luffy thought. _'Last time I tried to talk to my brother, his punch sent me through a wall.'_ But Luffy felt the urge to comfort Ace. He sighed, knowing that it was gonna turn out bad. He left the kitchen and stared at Ace. '_Alright, here we go...'_ Luffy walked up to Ace and this time, he didn't bother to force a smile on his face.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you yesterday." When he said that, he noticed Ace's hands tighten on the railing. He looked up at Ace's eyes. Luffy instantly knew that Ace felt like punching him again. He knew he had to say something to get Ace's mind off of punching him. "Look, Ace, you can tell me what you're going through. I understand what you're feel--"

"You _don't_ understand, Luffy." His voice sounded more clear than the last time he spoke. Luffy looked confused.

"But I do understand, Ace. You lost someone--"

"You don't understand, Luffy!" Ace raised his voice. "How can _you_ know what I'm going through?" Luffy slightly backed up, still staring at Ace. The rest of the crew members rushed out onto deck, making sure their captain hadn't gone through another wall.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Asked Chopper.

"He should be." Sanji answered.

"Ace..."

"No, Luffy! You _can't_ know what I'm going through! You've never lost someone important to you, have you?" Luffy didn't respond. "Have you?!" Ace asked, more harshly than before. Luffy slightly flinched, a look of hurt upon his face.

"...No." Ace turned to the crew members.

"Does _anyone_ here know how it feels?" The whole crew bent their heads down except for Luffy, who still was staring at Ace. "See, Luffy? They understand me better than you do! My own brother!" Ace almost looked disgusted with Luffy. He walked over to the storage room, opened the door, walked in, and slammed the door behind him. The impact cracked the door. The crew stood there, nothing but silence shrouded the ship. Finally, Usopp spoke up.

"Luffy? You alright?" Nami walked up to Luffy, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Luffy."

"No, it won't." Luffy replied dryly. He turned around and head to the mens quarters, not saying another word. Robin watched her captain walk out sight, sighing slightly.

"Poor captain-san."

"I don't think I've ever seen him down this much before..."

"Maybe we should try cheering him up later."

"That sounds like a good idea, Chopper. We'll have a feast. He'll like that for sure." The crew member started planning away, while Luffy just laid in his hammock sobbing quietly to himself.

XXDXX

Luffy felt horrible inside. Ace was right, he didn't know how he felt. Luffy stared blankly at the wall. He didn't feel right inside. It was like there was a piece of him missing. His nakama had been trying to coax him out of the room for an hour, but Luffy just refused. The crew didn't know what to do anymore. Luffy had been in the mens quarter for over three hours. This continued on until the next day. "Luffy, lunch is ready!" But Luffy never came out to eat. He didn't even sleep at all last night. They figured he would give in soon and come eat by dinner, but he never came out then either. At one point, Luffy finally came out of the room and headed for the kitchen. The crew silently rejoiced from the kitchen. He had stopped to look at Ace and all Ace had to say was: "Go away." Luffy did exactly that, and slipped back into the mens room, crushing the crews hope. This happened a few more times, and soon the crew started to become desperate. They tried everything from coaxing him out, to flat out threatening him. But none of their tactics worked.

Luffy had been becoming so depressed lately, and it seemed the more Ace snapped, the less Luffy ate. The crew just watched as the lives of the two brothers came slowly crashing down.

* * *

**Yeah, the ending sucked cause I rushed it. But I just wanted to say this again:**

**I LOVE YOU GUYS SOOOO MUCH! ALL THE REVIEWS YOU GUYS ARE GIVING ME WANNA MAKE ME CRY! I'VE NEVER HAD SO MANY REVIEWS FOR A STORY, SO THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH! YOU ALL DESERVE YOUR VERY OWN ACE AND LUFFY! ^-^**

**Anyways, the next chapter will be coming out soon~! Please stay tuned! Thank you! =]**


	5. Chapter 5: Questions

Depressed  
Chapter Five: Questions

**Summary: The crew stops at an island and Luffy runs into someone that may help explain why Ace is acting like he is.**

**XXDXX  
Life dealt them suffering, and they returned it in kind**

**-Unknown**

**XXDXX**

_Luffy had been becoming so depressed lately, and it seemed the more Ace snapped, the less Luffy ate. The crew just watched as the lives of the two brothers came slowly crashing down._

* * *

"Please Luffy?"

"Captain-san?"

"Luffy!"

"He still won't answer..."

"Or come out..."

"It's been a week since he's eaten..." The crew stood depressingly outside the mens quarters, staring at the floor. "We should be docking at the next island in two hours. Maybe Luffy will get some fresh air there." Nami pushed some of her orange hair out of her face, her face filled with concern. Never had she seen her captain like this. He would _always_ bounce back. It was one of the advantages of being Luffy. But from the way things were looking, he wasn't gonna be bouncing back from this any time soon. Nami gave a sigh, as did Robin and Chopper.

"I wanna go check on him." Chopper stated. "Not eating can really mess up your health."

"Maybe after we dock, Chopper. If Luffy explores the island, he may get something to eat." Usopp shuffled his feet and looked at Sanji.

"You can't drag him out?"

"I wouldn't do that to him in his current state. It would almost be like kicking him on the ground."

"Oh..." Zoro stared at the sky, leaning against the wall. The sky didn't seem as blue as it usually did in the past week. It seemed grayer, more gloomy. Robin looked over in Ace's direction and found in his normal spot, looking over the railing.

In Ace's mind, certain memories just kept rewinding themselves over and over again. One of the memories was when he was younger, when he used to beat the crap out of the adults. Another memory was when he was crying on the execution platform. The other was when Whitebeard sacrificed himself for Ace and Luffy's escape. They were all violent moments that replayed over and over again, satisfying the darker side of Ace. So many things ran inside of him, yet nothing was happening on the outside of him except the constant blank stare. It was almost as if he had shut down...

Luffy lay on his side, looking at the boring wall. His stomach growled loudly, but he took no notice of it. In-fact, he hadn't taken notice to anything for the last week. He only slept two days out of the week, and ate none of the food that was placed in front of him. He had never felt like this before. It was as if someone had stabbed him in the heart, and just left him to die. All he wanted to do was help Ace, but Ace wouldn't let him in. Luffy's hands curled into fists. _'Stupid Ace...what happened to him? It's like his warm heart turned to ice...'_ Another single tear ran down his cheek, as Luffy remembered a childhood memory with him and Ace.

_XXDXX_

_"Pst, Lu."_

_"Hmm, what Ace? It's eleven at night." Eleven year old Luffy rubbed his sleepy eyes._

_"I wanna show you something. Come with me." Said a fourteen year old Ace, as he held his hand out to the younger sibling. Luffy took his brothers hand. Ace pulled Luffy outside, walked down the road, went through a dark forest, and led him to the top of a huge hill. "Open your eyes, Lu." Luffy opened his eyes and gaped at the sight. At the top of the hill was a giant weeping willow and beautiful view of the ocean. The full moon reflected beautifully on the calm ocean surface._

_"Wow...Ace it's beautiful." Luffy said in awe. Ace smiled and pointed up into the tree. When Luffy looked up, he saw hundreds, no, _thousands_ of fireflies in the branches. "Wow...there's so many!" Luffy turned towards Ace and smiled. "Ace, this is wonderful! I love it!"_

_"I'm glad you do." Ace scooped Luffy up in his arms and carried him under the willow. He sat down and set Lu next to him, grabbing out a huge thick blanket to cover them both up. "Hope you don't mind sleeping with the fireflies tonight."_

_"As long as onii-chan is here with me, I don't mind..." Luffy sleepily said, before falling asleep against his brothers shoulder. Ace gave a small chuckle. Luffy rarely called him onii-chan, but when he did, Ace couldn't help but smile. Ace took one more look at the fireflies before drifting into a deep sleep._

_XXDXX_

Luffy was brought back to reality when he heard someone enter the room. It was Zoro.

"Oi, Luffy. We just docked, so if you wanna wander around an island, now would be a good time." Luffy sat up and slightly nodded. Zoro gave a small nod in return before returning to the deck. "He's gonna explore." The crew let out a sigh of relief.

"At least he's getting fresh air finally."

"And this also gives him a chance to get away from his brother for now." Usopp added. "A little time away from him will be good for him."

"That's true. Okay, so here's everyone's share! We'll meet back here in four hours at the most. Hai?"

"Hai!" Before the crew left, Nami looked at Zoro. "Now, no getting lost."

"Why'd you look at me when you said that?" Zoro asked, irritated.

"Okay, let's go!" Nami ran off into town before Zoro got to ask her the question again.

"My sense of direction isn't that bad..." Zoro muttered under his breath, earning a look from Usopp.

"Zoro, you thought east was left and north was up. That's pretty bad."

"He's got a point." Sanji added.

"Oi, stay out of this, curly-brow!"

"What did you say, cactus head?"

"Calm down you two. The last thing we need is another fight _on_ this ship." Robin stated, a small smile upon her face. "Save the fight for town."

"Hai, Robin-chwan!" Heats flew from Sanji's eye, and soon left for the town.

"You coming, Zoro-san?"

"Yeah." Zoro and Robin walked to town side by side so Zoro wouldn't get lost. (Though Zoro would never admit that.) Ace, who watched everyone leave, looked around. He knew Luffy was still on the ship, and scanned the area for him. The last thing he wanted right now was to be followed by that little twirp. Once he was sure Luffy wasn't there, he jumped off the ship and headed away from the town and towards the forest part of the island.

Luffy dragged his feet out onto deck, and scanned the area. The last thing he wanted right now was to see that stupid brother of his. When the area was clear, Luffy let out a sigh of relief. He walked out onto deck and just stared at the sun, soaking in its wonderful rays of heat. He hadn't felt the sun on his skin for a whole week, and it felt wonderful right now. Once he was done soaking up the sun, he looked towards the town, and nodded. He decided that he was gonna explore the town for awhile, then come back to the ship. He jumped off the ship and headed for the small town.

Though it was small, the town was quite a busy place. It reminded Luffy of Alabasta, where he met Ace for the first time in years. In fact, Luffy was so busy looking at all the little shops, he failed to notice a familiar marine walk his way. When he felt a hand on his shoulder he looked up and came face to face with...Garp.

"Hey, Luffy." Garp said, still looking at Luffy.

"Gramps..." Luffy looked Garp right in the eye, and the older male knew right away that something wasn't right.

"What's wrong? Your eyes don't have that weird little sparkle they usually do..."

"Gramps, I need to talk to you. Can we talk somewhere private?"

"Sure." Garp led Luffy on the outskirts of town, sitting him down on a fallen log. "Now, what's wrong Luffy?" Luffy took in a deep breath, then slowly released it.

"It's Ace. He's been acting...different. He seems..."

"More darker?" Garp asked, earning a surprised look from his grandson.

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Well, Ace wasn't exactly the happiest kid before he met you. When he was old enough, I told him who his father was, and he was determined to get info on Gol D. Roger. So he would head into town to ask the towns hoodlums about Roger. But none of them had anything good to say about him. Instead, it was insult after insult after insult about Roger. Well, Ace didn't like the fact they talked bad about his father...so he would beat them up." Luffy's face tightened.

"How old was Ace?"

"Nine. Well one day one of the townswomen came up to Ace asking him about the attack on the hoodlums."

"_'Ace!! What did you do down there in the town?! There's a ruckus down there! Everyone is talking about how the town hoodlums got half-killed by a child!!'_"

"And what was Ace's response?" Luffy asked anxiously.

"_'Damn...they weren't dead, then?_'" Luffy's face tightened even more. "I came back to town two days later and found him sitting on a hill. He then asked me a question that nearly broke my heart. He asked _'Gramps....Do you think....I should really have been born?'_" Luffy was shocked. How could Ace have had such a sad and dark past, and Luffy not even know it? And Luffy could only imagine all the pain Ace had went through to think of such a question at that age.

"He really beat them half to death?" Luffy asked, his voice choked. Gramps nodded grimly.

"He was born with great power, earning it through his fathers blood. He hardly smiled, never laughed. Yet, when he met you, all that changed. He started to open up, he started to smile and laugh. For once, he had a friend who didn't care who his father was. Because of you, Luffy, Ace's dark side disappeared." A single tear ran down Luffy's cheek. Here, Luffy thought of _Ace_ as a role model, when _Ace_ was the one who saw _Luffy_ as a _teacher_. A teacher that would teach him how to be happy again, how to love again. Garp noticed Luffy's hands curl into fists. "He's been acting cold to you, hasn't he?" Luffy bit his lip.

"He sent through a wall...and yelled at me. I haven't eaten...in a week and haven't slept in five days...It's just, he's not himself. He doesn't do anything now! At all! He just stands at the railing looking at the sun and ocean! What do I do? How can I bring back...my brother.?" For once, Luffy felt small, so _unhelpful_.

"Then do what you usually do to someone when they send you through a wall." Luffy looked up at his grandpa. "Beat him up. I'm sure a knock to the head would bring him back to his damn senses." Luffy smiled and nodded. Leave it to gramps to come up with an idea like that.

"Oh, gramps? I'm sorry...for what I did at the execution stand. I had to do it..." Garp just smiled.

"I know...Now, how bout a fist of love?" Luffy's smiled instantly vanished, replacing it with horror.

"I uh....uh...I better go find Ace before he gets into trouble." Luffy quickly lied, then quickly ran for his life. "By grandpa! See ya later!"

"Next time I see you, I'll give you an extra fist of love then!" Luffy silently prayed Garp wouldn't remember to do so. Of coarse, Luffy reached the ship in no time. He hopped up on deck and suddenly turned around.

Ace stared at him with a glare filled with pure evil. Luffy looked down at Ace's fists and noticed they were on fire, which he knew wasn't a good sign. He clenched his jaw and faced Ace.

"I'm going to bring back my brother, no matter what the cost is..."

"And I'll make sure to destroy you...you're always too happy, and cheery. It's disgusting. Anything beautiful is...And dreams? They don't exist... Sometimes, dreams just don't come true...Just like you won't exist after I'm done with you..."

-----

**There's part five! Sorry i know Garp was waaaaaaaay out of character. (I have no idea how to write him...) Well, that sucked...**

**So please review! Thank you! ^-^**


	6. Chapter 6: The Fight

Depressed

Chapter Six:

**Summary: Ace believes that everything that is beautiful, or cheery, must perish my his hands. Luffy believes that everything dark, or gloomy, must be brought back to life by his strength in heart.**

**XXDXX**

**Human instinct demands we protect the young. But sometimes, instinct is over ruled by strong impulses. A disturbed mind can transform a protector into a predator...**

**-Unknown**

**XXDXX**

_"And I'll make sure to destroy you...You're always too happy and cheery. It's disgusting. Anything beautiful is... And dreams? They don't exist... Sometimes dreams just don't come true... Just like you won't exist after I'm done with you..."_

* * *

Luffy's remained unchanged as he studied Ace's body for a weak spot. Ace never had a weakness, no soft spots except his heart. _'Except he doesn't have a heart at the moment...'_ Luffy grit his teeth. Where the hell could he attack Ace, and actually _hurt_ him? That's when he saw a small scar on Ace's stomach. _'His stomach... Akinu's fist went right through it...'_ The thought of the memory sent shivers down Luffy's spine. As much as he didn't want to fight Ace, or hit him in the stomach, he knew he had to. Ace didn't look like he was gonna let Luffy go until he was dead. Ace seemed to be waiting for Luffy to make the first move, which made Luffy a little wary. Ace _always_ attacked first. Luffy tightened his fists, took a breath, and ran towards Ace.

Luffy's eyes remained on Ace's stomach, his target. He raised a fist in the air and aimed at his target. As his fist flew towards Ace, he waited to feel the impact of his fist against Ace's skin, but never felt it. Ace wasn't even in front of Luffy anymore. It wasn't until Luffy felt someone grab the back of his head, that he realized Ace had got behind him. _'So fast!'_ Luffy's face was smashed into the deck, leaving yet another hole in the ship.

"Aiming for a mans wounds, huh? Getting a little desperate already, are we?" Ace asked teasingly. Luffy pulled his head out of the pile of wood and glared at Ace.

"You knew...?"

"Of coarse. You couldn't keep your eyes off of my stomach." Ace grinned. "You were always so predictable. Hiken!" Fire flew from Ace's fist towards Luffy, who just barely dodge the oncoming attack.

XXDXX

In town, Sanji was carrying all the groceries he bought at the various markets he went to. He cursed slightly under his breath, his cigaret almost completely burnt out. "Stupid Marimo was supposed to meet me here... Where the hell is he?" He leaned against the wall of a nearby building, throwing his old cigaret to the ground and taking out a new one. "Probably got lost again..."

Zoro opened the door to exit the bar, his arms empty. "Damn bartender..." Zoro growled. Zoro was in pissy mood right now. Not only did he have to stand in line in the bar for 25 minutes, but when he finally got to the counter to get some grog, turns out they ran out an hour earlier. And to make things worse, some guy had the guts to make fun of Zoro's hair. That resulted in him going through about three brick walls. Zoro stuffed his hands in his pockets and angrily walked towards the blonde cook.

"Oi, where's the--"

"They didn't have."

"Ooh, someone's in a bad mood." Zoro glared Sanji.

"I'm not in the mood to fight right now..." Zoro said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I already had to send one guy through three brick walls." Sanji puffed on his cigaret.

"So that's what all the commotion was..." Zoro snorted, rolled his eyes and turned around. "Here, I can't carry all these groceries by myself." Sanji gave Zoro three bags of food. "Ready?"

"Yeah..." They started to walk towards the middle of town when someone passing by pointed behind them towards the ocean.

"Hey, is someone doing fireworks?"

"Wow, and today's not even a holiday!" Sanji rolled his eyes as a small of group of people gathered to watch the event.

"It's probably some group of kids getting to trouble..."

"Probably." Zoro agreed.

"Aw, that's not fireworks."

"It's just someone playing with fire..."

"That's too bad." The group of people quickly broke apart, and Zoro curiously looked at what they saw. He instantly stopped and grabbed the cooks shoulder.

"The hell--"

"Sanji, look." Sanji turned around and saw what Zoro was looking at.

"Shit. We gotta find the others and tell them. This way." Zoro clenched his teeth as he saw another fire rise from the Merry Go.

"If Ace hurts Luffy, he's dead." The two members ran north into town for about three minutes before spotting the others. "Usopp! Chopper!" Sanji and Zoro handed them the groceries quickly.

"Oi, what's going on?" Usopp quickly asked.

"Ace is attacking Luffy. We need to stop him."

"Nami, Robin. Stay here until we come back." Sanji ordered.

"Be careful, you two." Robin said, quietly but sternly.

"We'll give you guys thirty minutes before we come. Got it?" Nami asked.

"Hai, Nami-san." The two pirates quickly took off, heading south towards their ship...

XXDXX

"Hiken!" Luffy just barely managed to dodge the same attack again. Luffy stood up, breathless. His vision was becoming blurry, his strength decreasing fast. _'Damn... Not eating and sleeping for so long, it's slowing me down...' _Luffy bit his lip, trying hard just to stay awake now. He didn't even notice the green fire dots heading towards him. "Hotarubi Hidaruma!" One of the green dots burst into flames near Luffy's right rib, catching it on fire. Luffy let out yell of pain as he quickly tried to put out the flame. "Heh, you can't win."

"Yes I can! Gomu Gomu no--"

"Juujika!"

"Nah, Ace. I never knew you started believing in God..." Luffy commented on the last attack which he dodge easily.

"Higan!" Fire bullets chased Luffy around the ship.

"Damn, he's just messing with me...he's not even trying..." Luffy noted. If Ace wasn't even trying right now, there would be no way for Luffy survive in his current state. But exhaustion came over Luffy, and he full to the floor. "S-Shit..." Ace grinned and walked over to Luffy, who was trying to sit up. "Gotta...save Ace..." Ace grabbed a fist full of Luffy's hair and pulled him, punching him in stomach seconds later. Luffy hit the partially burnt mast, coughing up blood. Before he could he even fall to the ground, Ace grabbed him around the neck and raised him, his feet dangling two feet off the ground. Luffy wrapped his own hands around Ace's arm, desperately trying to get out of his older brothers grasp. Little air was entering his lungs now, and Luffy's vision was starting to double. In Ace's other hand was a fire lance. "Shinka Shiranui." Ace looked up at Luffy with a giant grin on his face. "Checkmate..."

"...What does...that...mean...again?" Luffy asked through small breaths. Ace rolled his eyes, a look of disgust came over his face.

"It means I win." Ace pulled back the fire lance, aiming it for Luffy's heart.

"Oh..." Luffy saw no way out of his situation, and was ready accept his fate. "Before...before I die then...Ace. Ace, I...just wanna...say...that no matter what...even if you...do kill...me...I will...always love you..." Ace's eyes darkened even more. Luffy didn't know such dark and evil eyes could exist in this world, and thought that even the devil himself would be scared at this moment. Luffy closed his eyes, and awaited for the lance to pierce his heart. But after a few seconds of nothing but quiet, he opened his eyes and found a startling sight. The fire lance that was in Ace's hand was gone, and the hand around his neck was slightly shaking. Ace's teary eyes were full of confusion and sadness. Ace's eyes searched Luffy's face, not making eyes contact at all. Then, in a hoarse and choppy voice, he spoke.

"...Luffy?"

* * *

**Ha! Got ya didn't I? No? Aw, then I fail...**

**Oh well, I fail a lot! ^-^**

**I know this chapter sucked as well, lets face it, i'll always suck =]**

**Plus, i suck at writing fight scenes... i try my best to avoid them...**

**Well, Ace died on the 10th...It's sad, and horrible. But don't worry! I have a feeling he'll be coming back...Cause if he doesn't, I think Luffy just might try killing himself. O.O**

**Well, he did just mentally collapse...and Blackbeard showed up...**

**Whitebeard! Kick his ass and bring Ace to life!**

**Sigh...my life hasn't been the same since that incident... It's like every time I think of Ace, I almost start crying...and i become so depressed...**

**Attacks I used in this:**

**Shinka- (Holy Flame) Shiranui- (Unknown Fire)**

**Hiken- Fire Fist**

**Higan- Fire Gun**

**Juujika- Crossfire**

**Hotarubi- (Firefly Fire) Hidaruma- (Blazing Doll)**

**And i just wanted to say this:**

**I have never had so many hits for one month!! For the month of February I got 2,598 hits and 1,600 visitors for all my stories! For this story ALONE, i got 791 hits and 280 visitors.**

**For Brother Complex, I got 792 hits and 429 visitors.**

**Man, you guys are killing me! All these reviews and alerts... Q.Q I'm so frickin happy, I could di-- *dies***

**Well, TBC!!**

**Review please? :3**

**(Oh, one more thing. I'm gonna try to write another song fic....should i? It's gonna be about Ace. The song's gonna be Someone That Cares by Three Days Grace. As soon as I read about how no one wanted Ace to live, I thought it would be a great song for a story. So should I write it? Please tell me!)**


	7. Chapter 7: Normal

Depressed

Chapter Seven:

**Summary: Ace awakes from a nightmare...**

**XXDXX  
I confess I'm always afraid, always ashamed of what's inside me. I confess I'm always afraid, always ashamed of what's inside my head. Wasting away, it's part of my instinct. I'll run away, every thing I hate. Help me escape, take this away. I confess.**

**-Red (I Confess)  
XXDXX**

_"Before...before I die then...Ace. Ace, I...just wanna...say that no matter what...even if you...do kill...me...I will...always love you..." The fire lance that was once in Ace's hand disappeared and the hand around Luffy's thin neck was now shaking. Ace's teary eyes were full of confusion and sadness as he stared up at his brother. "...Luffy?"_

* * *

Ace continued to stare up at Luffy, tears overflowing from his eyes. Luffy just hung there, looking into his brothers clear blue eyes. "Ace?" The word seemed to bring Ace to his senses, and he slowly put Luffy back on the ground. As a reflex, Luffy quickly ran up to his brother, embracing him tightly. He ignored the burning pain in his lungs, ribs and throat. Ace just stood there, staring at nothing.

"Luffy..." Tears still were rolling down Ace's cheeks, his voice cracked. "Luffy, I..." Luffy pulled away to look up at his brother, his protector. As soon as he did, Ace fell to his knees, one hand grabbing his head. "...L-Luffy. Luffy I, I'm so sorry." He seemed be panicking. "What have I done?"

"Ace, it's okay. I'm fine. You didn't hurt me. Ace, look at me." Luffy put his and on Ace's cheek. "Ace, I'm fine." But on closure inspection, Ace saw a burn wound on Luffy's right side.

"You're lying. I did hurt you." Ace seemed to stop breathing for a second. "Luffy I sent you through a wall!" Ace yelled, surprising himself. "I sent you through a wall, I smashed your face in the deck. I, I almost sent a _lance_ through your _heart_, Luffy!" Hysteria was starting to rise in Ace and Luffy needed to do something quickly to calm him down.

"Ace!" Luffy hugged his brother tightly, stopping Ace from speaking any further. "I don't care if you did all that. I'm just glad you're back to normal. I missed you so much." Luffy started sobbing a little. "I'm sorry. Whenever you cry, I seem to cry too..." Luffy smiled. Ace rubbed Luffy's back, almost as if he was holding a baby.

"You're sorry for crying, when I'm the one who should be sorry for almost killing you?" Ace chuckled weakly. "You're so weird Luffy."

"Thanks." The two brothers stood up and looked at the partially burnt mast. "You're in trouble Ace."

"Ah, I didn't mean to burn the mast...I'll fix it." But before he could start working on it, two figures jumped onto the ship, rushing towards Ace.

"Get away from our captain!" Zoro yelled, his three swords already unsheathed.

"You hurt him once, we won't forgive you if you hurt him again!" Sanji yelled after Zoro, his one leg already on fire. Luffy suddenly jumped in front of Ace.

"Luffy, get out of the way!"

"No, Ace is fine now! He's back--"

"Luffy, move!" Ace wrapped an arm around Luffy's waist and jumped out of the way of the attacks. The two brothers watched as the two crew members hit the mast by accident, breaking half way through it. Ace looked at Luffy. "At least I'm not the one who has to fix the mast now." The mast slowly started falling, but a rope of fire wrapped around it, partially holding it in place. Zoro and Sanji looked at the logia user in shock. "Luffy, a little help here? If this rope stays around the mast for to long, it'll burn it."

"Gomu Gomu no...Rope!" Luffy's two arms flew around the mast just like the fire of rope. The two brothers stayed in their positions and looked at Zoro and Sanji.

"Yo." They both said.

"Luffy, Ace is back to normal?" Zoro sheathed his swords and Sanji put his leg out.

"Yep. _Sanji_!!" Luffy suddenly yelled out urgently, causing Sanji to quickly turn around.

"What's wrong?"

"...I'm hungry." Sanji smiled.

"Finally. You haven't eaten in seven days--"

"You haven't eaten in seven day?!" Ace asked Luffy, letting go of the fire rope.

"Yeah...Sorry."

"Luffy, why the hell...?"

"Um...you kinda snapped at me. It sorta put me in a state of depression...But I'm fine now." Luffy quickly added, reassuring his brother. He gave a yawn. "And I haven't slept either..."

"Luffy, you're always doing such reckless things..." Ace grinned, but his legs suddenly buckled beneath him.

"Ace? Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah." He put his hand on his stomach. "Akainu's attack hasn't healed completely yet... That fight really had an impact on it..." Ace half-heartedly gave another grin, causing Luffy to just shake his head.

"And you say I'm the careless one..." Ace was about to argue back when four more crew members jumped onto deck.

"Nani?! What happened to the mast?!"

"It was those two." Ace and Luffy pointed to Sanji and Zoro.

"You two will fix this mast _immediately_!" Nami ordered.

"Hai, Nami-swan!" Sanji swooned.

"Idiot..."

"What was that, Marimo?"

"I forgot..." Robin walked up to Ace, who was still sitting on the ground.

"It's nice to have you back." She smiled gently.

"Thanks." Ace tried to stand up, but Chopper stopped him.

"Don't push yourself, Ace. You're still hurt pretty badly inside." Chopper turned to heavy point and picked up Ace. "I'll be treating him in the sick bay. You wanna come, Luffy?"

"Yeah, I need to talk to Ace after you're done. Oi, Zoro, Sanji. Do you two have the mast steady?" The two gave a nod, both wrapping a rope around the mast. Luffy slowly released the mast and nodded to the two. "I'll be in the sick bay if anyone needs me." The three of them headed down below deck.

"Nice to see Luffy's better."

"Ace too."

"Well, looks like we won't have to kill Ace after all..." Zoro stated.

"True..."

"Oi! Back to work!"

XXDXX

"Is he okay, Chopper?"

"Luffy, he's fine. Now stop moving so I can bandage your burn..." Luffy sat as still as he could, his eyes leaving Ace. After a few minutes, Chopper nodded approvingly. "That aught to hold. I'll leave you two now. And no fighting!"

"Hai!" Chopper gathered his things and left the room, closing the door behind him. Luffy bounced to Ace's side, who currently laid in bed. "How you feeling?"

"Horrible."

"Oh...Would it help to put ice on your stomach?"

"Luffy, that's not why I feel horrible. Well, it's one reason, but ice won't help. Luffy, I feel horrible about what I did to you."

"Oh... Ace, it's okay. I mean, you lost it for a week--"

"Luffy, I lost it completely. That was the worst its been in years..." Ace sighed deeply. "Luffy, there's something I should tell you..."

"If it's about your childhood, Garp already told me." Luffy interrupted.

"But how much did he tell you?"

"That...you used beat adults half to death... That you never smiled. And he told me how you asked that question... But I know you weren't born dark like that... So why'd you act like that?"

"You know Luffy, I would be cheery just like you if all adults didn't want me to die. They always made cruel jokes when I was around._"_

_'Oh, I've got a good one! How about sticking one needle in his body for every person in the world with a grudge against Roger!' _

_'No, he should be burned at the stake! That way the whole world could watch and laugh as he went to his death!! They'd all be saying the same thing ya know? They'd be saying Serves Ya Right! Gyahahaha!'_

_'I know what his last words should be as well! "I'm sorry for being born, piece of trash that I am!"'_

_'Ah, well, not like he really exists...'_

"If it wasn't for you, Lu, I wouldn't even wanna be alive. So, I want to thank you, Lu. If it weren't for you, I'd never be here right now." There was a small silence between the two brothers, before a small sniffle could be heard.

"Baka..." Luffy sobbed, surprising Ace. "You don't go telling people such sad stuff when it's a happy moment..." Ace smiled.

"Sorry."

"Apology accepted."

"Oi..."

"Nah, but Ace, I do have one question. How did it happen? The whole darkness thing..."

"Well, it's sorta like an evil voice in your head... You know what I mean?"

"Yeah."

"But... mine's different. It's like when I don't do what it tells me too, it attacks me." Luffy shook his head, not understanding. "It's like your mind being consumed in darkness. And since I always have a small darkness inside my heart, all it needs is a spark to start it up... Understand?"

"Yeah, I do." Luffy smiled. "I love you, nii-chan."

"I love you too, outou-san." Luffy hugged Ace, but pulled away before the older sibling could return the hug. "Luffy? Something wrong?"

"Ace, you're hot." Ace blinked, then slightly blushed.

"Um... Thank you?"

"No, I mean, you're _hot_. Do you have a fever or something?"

"No, I've been this hot since I woke up... It's really weird." Luffy frowned slightly, but shrugged it off.

"Hey, wanna go raid the fridge?" Ace cracked a grin.

"You bet I do. But I'm a little tired, so maybe later."

"Then...nap time?" Ace's eyes softened as he gave a weak smile.

"Of coarse. Hop in." Luffy hopped in bed with and snuggled up to his brother, the warmth of the logia user quickly sent him into a deep sleep. Ace chuckled and yawned. "Goodnight, Lu..."

"Goodnight, Ace..."

* * *

***Ghost Me* Yep! There ya go. The suckiest chapter yet! I thought I'd put just a lil brother love at the end. Next chapter is coming soon hopefully!**

**Quick Question:  
Should I do another song fic? The details:  
Character: Ace  
Song: Someone That Cares.**

**So should I, or should I not?**

**Well, Thanks for reading! Please click the review button again, and maybe you'll get a virtual cake!**

**-To SilverStream101- Thanks for the reviews and hugs! Now I shall glomp you! *glomps* Muahaha! The glompster strikes again...**

**-To Kitsune1337- Q.Q Thank you sooo much for the reviews! They make me wanna die of happiness! :D Oh wait...I already died...dammit! that's ok...I'll just faint from happiness...yeah, that works right? right....now I'm talking to myself... muahaha! I love arguing with myself... i always seem to lose... and i love playing hide and seek with myself... i always win :)**

**Arigato everyone!! ^_~**


	8. Chapter 8: Sweet Dreams

Depressed

Chapter Eight: Sweet Dreams and Flying Machines

**Summary: Ace and Luffy dream while they nap... And no, there are no flying machines in this...**

**XXDXX  
A place where we can hide out from the night, where you are all I see. So blow a kiss goodbye, close your eyes. Tell me what you see. A lifetime spent inside this dream of mine, where you are all I see.  
-Rise Against (Life Less Frightening)  
XXDXX**

* * *

_Ace stood, no, floated in the darkness that surrounded him for miles and miles. Nothing but darkness could be seen. But Ace remained calm. He had been here before; many times before. He knew why he was here. Luffy wanted to talk to him. Ace turned around, still floating in the darkness. Yes, there he was. Luffy was just a few feet away from Ace, also floating among the darkness. Ace couldn't help but grin at seeing his younger brother sleepily opened his eyes._

_"Ace!"_

_"Hey, Lu. I'm guessing you wanted to talk?" Ever since they were kids, Ace and Luffy were always able to visit each other in dreams. It started when Luffy was eleven, the night they slept under the weeping willow with the fireflies. Luffy had somehow managed to drag Ace out of his dream, and into a blank universe, where they could talk to each as if they were awake. Luffy yawned before giving a small smile, rubbing his tired eyes._

_"I wanted to see you..." Ace just chuckled._

_"Luffy, I'm right next to you."_

_"I know... But I started missing you already..." Ace floated over to his brother, tightly embracing him._

_"Still miss me?"_

_"Not anymore, since you're right here." Ace's small smile slowly started to disappear._

_"Lu..."_

_"Hm?"_

_"...Why do you really wanna talk to me?" There was a silence from the younger brother. "I know the reason you dragged me out of my dream wasn't to just hug me... What's the real reason?"_

_"I just wanted to make sure you were okay... and that you weren't slipping into the darkness again..."_

_"Aw, Lu... You don't have to worry, the whole darkness thing is over with." Ace lied. He knew damn well that the darkness might take over him anytime it wanted._

_"You promise?" Ace bit his lip. He couldn't keep that promise. He just couldn't. And he wasn't about to break a promise to his brother._

_"Look, Lu, you don't have to worry. I'm the one who has to worry, ok? So just leave the worrying to me."_

_"Why do you have to worry?" Luffy asked, curious._

_"I... I'm afraid that the darkness in my heart. I'm afraid that piece of darkness might try to kill you, like it is to me..." Ace's voice had become quiet. "But that worst fear came true just yesterday... That piece of darkness almost killed you, Lu." Luffy was silent. He relaxed in his big brothers embrace, furrowing his brows._

_"Nii-chan... Is the darkness really killing you?" Luffy tightened his grip on his brother, almost afraid that if he let go, he would lose his only sibling. "Cause I don't want the darkness to take my nii-chan away..."_

_"Luffy... I promised you, didn't I? That I would never ever die and leave you alone in this world?"_

_"You did promise... and you almost broke it at Marine Headquarters."_

_"But that was different." Ace quickly added. "I had no choice but to take that hit for you, Lu. I wasn't about to let you die right in front of me. That's why big brothers were created. To protect their younger brothers from harm... Now, how about we go fishing?" Luffy's face instantly brightened._

_"Fishing!" Ace ruffled Luffy's hair as the darkness around them slowly faded into mixtures of blue and green. Before long, the two brothers were sitting on a green bank of grass right next to a beautiful lake, fishing poles in hand._

_"Bet I can catch more fish than you." Ace grinned._

_"Nuh-uh! I can catch more than you ever can!"_

_"Then it's a challenge." The two brothers cast their lines into the lake, waiting for little nibbles. Luffy grinned mischievously as he whacked Ace in the stomach. In return, Ace playfully whacked Luffy back in the face...  
XXDXX_

The crew held in a laugh as they watched from the door way the two brothers sleeping. Luffy's hand raised, then tiredly fell onto Ace's stomach. Ace's big tired arm also tiredly fell on Luffy's face, neither of them stirred from their sleep. The crew slightly chuckled. "They must be dreaming."

"Interesting, I heard it's extremely rare for two people to share the same dream." Robin smiled sweetly.

"Well, they are brothers..."

"Brothers with a close bond."

"Sanji, is it ready?"

"Yes, Nami-swan!"

"Ok, lets all wait in the kitchen for them..." Nami gestured everyone out of the sickbay while the two brothers brightly smiled in their sleep.

XXDXX

_"One, two, three, four, five, six! Ha! I got six!"_

_"Oh yeah? Well I got one, two, three, four, five...five...What? I only got five?!" Ace chuckled._

_"Told ya I would win." Luffy pouted._

_"Meanie..." The two brothers sat there, looking at the beautiful sparkling lake in front of them. "It's so beautiful... to bad we can't swim..."_

_"Well, this is a dream..." Luffy's face brightened up again. But Ace started to worry when he saw an evil grin on Luffy's face. "Lu, what are you--" He was cut short when his hyper brother pushed him into the lake, the cold water sending small little chills up Ace's back. Luffy waited for his brother's head to break the surface, but after a minute, it never came. Luffy started to fidget._

_"Ace? Ace?" Luffy stuck his head underwater, hoping to see if his brother was alright. As soon as his head was submerged, he was pulled in by surprise. His head broke the surface to find Ace grinning at him._

_"Got ya." Luffy grinned._

_"I love dreaming with nii-chan!"_

_"And I love dreaming with my--" Luffy laughed heartily as his brother fell asleep in mid-sentence...  
XXDXX_

Ace slowly opened his eyes, his vision focused on a small black dot on the ceiling. He gave off a long yawn before looking at his still sleeping brother. Ace had to admit, he was still tired. Even if he did just take a three hour nap, he was tired. Sharing a dream with someone takes up a lot of energy. Ace sat up, quickly regretting that he did. His whole body was suddenly filled with pain; Ace quickly biting his lip to hold back a yell of shock. He took in several long and deep breaths, careful not to wake Luffy.

_'Damn it...I hate when this happens...'_ Ace grit his teeth. _'Every time I'm consumed in darkness, all pain disappears... but I turn normal again, all pain rushes back...'_ After a few minutes of nothing but breathing, Ace finally made his way off the small bed, the pain finally subsiding. Though he felt no more pain, he could tell his body was still unusually hot. But before he could question this, he saw his little brother stir.

"Pst, Lu. Wanna go raid the fridge now?" Luffy's eyes instantly popped open, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

"Sure!" The two brothers tiptoed up onto deck, Ace first. Ace looked around the deck and saw no one in sight, making him suspicious. As he quietly tiptoed to the closed kitchen door, he stopped; Luffy doing the same. If his hunch was correct, then...

"Hey Lu... go into the kitchen first," Luffy was gonna protest, but was interrupted. "If you go, I'll give you some of my meat." Luffy instantly walked in front of Ace and opened the kitchen door. As soon as he entered the kitchen, he came flying out, hitting the now fixed mast. Ace nodded. Yep, he was right.

The crew _did_ make a feast for them...

He chuckled, motioning Luffy to come over. Luffy held a new bump on his head, frowning slightly. "You knew they were gonna do that, didn't you."

"Maybe." Ace walked into the kitchen. The crew gave a hearty shout as the two brothers walked in together. The kitchen table was _loaded_ with many different types of food. "What's all this about?" Ace asked, his eyes set on the dumplings.

"We wanted to celebrate you returning to normal, and for Luffy breaking out of his depression. So we made a feast!"

Ace grinned, as did Luffy. As the crew stepped aside for the two brothers to get to the table first, Ace instantly ran to the dumplings; his mouth watering for their delicious taste. Luffy, on the other hand, ran straight for the sushi and katsu chicken. Soon, the rest of the crew joined in; everyone eating and laughing. It was true to say that they were all having a great and happy time...

* * *

**That sucked! XP**

**I'm really disappointed in the end, but I didn't know what else to put...  
So, yeah, you can tell what the next chapter's gonna be about.  
And, once again, thanks for all the reviews!!  
****I've decided to **_try_** and make this at **_least_** a thirteen chapter story...if anything seventeen chapters would be nice. (My fav number! XD)**

**-allycat18- *glomps you back* MUAHAHA! Thanks for the reviews!**

**-1337kitsune- aw, ya caught me! ^///^ Yeah, I did read that story. But believe it or not, Nap Time didn't give me this idea... It just popped into my mind... and then when I posted it, i thought of that story.... but it was a cute story! XD**

**-lilnitensure- I LOVE YOU TOO! *glomps you* another glomp added.... *writes down one more glomp* lets see....that puts me at...2, 186 glomps! WOO! Come on everyone! Do the Luffy dance! XD**

**WELL ANYWAYS**

**Thanks for all the reviews, and I will be update soon~! Take care everyone! ^3^**


	9. Chapter 9: Party

Depressed  
Chapter Nine: Party!

**Summary: Ace is back to normal and the crew couldn't be happier. And what are captain's orders? Throw a party of coarse!**

**XXDXX  
We're going out to tonight, to kick out every light. Take anything we want, drink everything in sight. We'll go till the world stops turning while we burn it to the ground tonight. We're screaming like demons and hanging from the ceiling.  
-Nickelback (Burn It To The Ground)  
XXDXX**

_Ace grinned, as did Luffy. Instantly, Ace ran to his delicious dumplings as Luffy ran to his wonderful sushi and chicken katsu. Soon, the rest of the crew joined in; everyone eating and laughing. It was true to say that they were all having a great and happy time…_

* * *

Ace's face was stuffed with dumplings as he slapped Luffy's hand away as it tried to grab some of his food. Luffy gave a small pout as he tried to grab someone else's food, but was unsuccessful. He looked at Ace's plate once more before frowning. "You said you'd give me a piece of meat if I went into the kitchen first." Ace grinned, eating some rice.

"You're right. Here ya go." He threw Luffy a dumpling. Luffy grabbed it and inhaled it down as if it was nothing, earning a chuckle from Ace. "You know, one of these days you're gonna choke on your food if you eat to fast."

"That'll happen when I'm eighty, Ace."

"Oi, less talk, more eating." One of the crewmembers said. Luffy agreed happily to the order. As Luffy busily ate, he didn't even know he had kicked Ace in the knee. Ace stared at Luffy.

"Oi, no more kicking me in the knee, Lu." But Ace was ignored completely. He shrugged it off and began eating again. But again, he was kicked again and again. Ace's eye twitched as he stared at Luffy. "I said no more kicking, L—" Ace was kicked once again. That was it. He snapped. He stood up and launched himself at Luffy, tackling him to the ground. The crewmembers watched as the older D brother mercilessly tickled the younger one on the floor.

"You know, even though they're not related, they're still so alike." Nami commented.

"I wish Ace was my older brother…" Zoro mumbled under his breath, low enough so no one could hear him.

"S-Stop it, Ace! I-I-I can't—" Luffy broke into laughter once again, Ace tickling his sides. Ace gave a big smile, and then too broke into laughter. Their contagious laugh spread through the crew. The whole ship echoed with their laughter. Tears leaked from Luffy's eyes, as he laughed more and more from the tickling. Ace finally stopped, helping Luffy stand up. Ace chuckled slightly as turned back to the table to sit down when he noticed his last two dumplings were gone.

"Who stole my dumplings?"

"And who stole the last katsu chicken?" Luffy asked as he noticed his food also gone. Zoro pointed over to Sanji.

"He stole the chicken." Before Sanji could argue back, he found himself face-to-face with Luffy. Luffy looked him in the eyes.

"Did you steal the chicken my plate?"

"Who, me?" Sanji asked, playing dumb.

"Yes, you."

"Couldn't be."

"Then who?"

"Sanji." Zoro said once again. Luffy pointed an accusing finger at the chef.

"So you _did_ steal my chicken!" Sanji threw a glare at Zoro.

"You ate his damn chicken, didn't you?" Zoro leaned back into his chair.

"What are you talking about? I don't steal my captain's food." Ace walked up to Zoro, his hair covering his eyes. Zoro felt his presence and looked up.

"So _you_ stole my food then…" There was a dangerous tone in Ace's voice that caused Zoro to almost shiver.

"Um… Here." Zoro quickly gave Ace his plate of food. Ace's scary face and voice almost instantly disappeared as he took the plate with a smile.

"Thanks." He said in a kind voice. Zoro let out a sigh of relief. That was the last he stole Ace's food…

Ace happily ate his new plate of food as Luffy tried to steal Usopp's food. Usopp threw his arms protectively around his plate, shielding it from Luffy's thieving hands. "Leave my food alone! Go steal Choppers!" But Chopper did the same thing as Usopp, and protected his plate.

"Sorry Luffy, but I'm still hungry." Robin chuckled slightly and handed Luffy a piece of steak.

"Here captain-san." Luffy was about to take it when he stopped.

"Are you sure, Robin? If you want it, that's okay."

"No, it's okay. I'm not hungry anymore." Luffy smiled and gave a small bow as he took the steak. He took a knife and cut in half, giving one piece to Zoro. Zoro stared at the steak, then at Luffy.

"What…"

"It's for Zoro since he doesn't have any food left." The swordsman took the steak piece and slowly started eating it.

"Thanks Luffy."

"No problem." Laughed Luffy. As the hyper captain when to stand up, he slipped on something wet and fell to the floor. The crew busted into laughter, as did Luffy. He stood up, still laughing, and looked at his nakama. They were having such a great time. Luffy was glad to see that. He was especially glad to see his brother laughing. But he noticed something weird happen to Ace. He could tell Ace's laugh was fake.

And, suddenly, Ace stopped laughing altogether. His body tensed and stiffened. Luffy's smile faded slowly as he saw that his brothers clear blue eyes were once again full of darkness…

**- - - - - - - - - - - -  
Yep! Another cliffhanger! Ahahaha—don't kill me.  
So… what do you think is gonna happen, hm?  
I know this is a short chapter. Sorry. ^__^"**

**Whitebeard: R.I.P. You will be missed.**

Ah, I've been so depressed lately. I dunno why… All I do is sit there and listen to music…  
But! Yesterday I was sooo happy! In a month, I'm finally getting a sword!!!!!!!!! ***does really really really happy dance*****  
I have been waiting for six years to get a sword! And I'm finally getting one! ^____^**

**-lilnitenurse- I LOVE YOU!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE GLOMPS!! O3O *****gives you huge cake and cookies***** Enjoy~! ^-^**

**-SilverStream101- if I knew where you lived I would give you the biggest hug ever!  
O.O don't take that a stalker way… I don't stalk people… well actually, I do. But I wont stalk you. ^^ *****gives you five more big hugs***** :D**

**-allycat18- I gotta give you soo much credit! You're the only one who did the Luffy dance!! :D  
$20 dollars for you! XD**

**-1337kitsune- just like lilnitenurse, I'd give you the biggest hug if I knew where you lived!! XD  
Sure, you can use the dream idea! I'm curious to see how you use it… heh heh heh… I hope see your story updates soon~! ^^**

**TBC!!**


	10. Chapter 10: Blankness

Depressed

Chapter 10: Blankness

**Summary: Ace doesn't know what's happening... and it's starting to scare him...**

**XXDXX  
You've stripped me down, the layer fall like rain. It's over now, just innocence and instinct still remain. You watched me while I slowly disappeared. I reached for you to save me, you were frozen in your fear. Take it all away, take it all away. Take it all away, take it all away. Circling the pain inside my soul...  
-Red (Take It All Away)  
XXDXX**

_And suddenly, Ace stopped laughing altogether. His body tensed and stiffened. Luffy's smile faded slowly as he saw that his brothers clear blue eyes were once again full of darkness..._

* * *

Luffy just stood there staring at his still brother, a confused look upon his face. Ace's dark eyes were centered on Luffy. The logia user gave a quick dark grin, causing small shivers down the younger ones back. He could feel the fear rising in the back of his mind again. Luffy didn't understand; Ace had _promised_ that the darkness wouldn't take over him again. Luffy blinked as he remembered the small conversation with his brother.

_"Ah, Lu... You don't have to worry, the whole darkness thing is over with."_

_"You promise?"_

_"Look, Lu, you don't have to worry. I'm the one who has to worry, ok? So just leave the worrying to me."_

Luffy clenched his teeth and tightened his fists. '_Ace...avoided the promise?'_ That meant the darkness could take over Ace anytime it wanted. The crew stood up and backed away from Ace as his fists turned orange with fire. "Luffy, what do we do?" Nami asked, a little frightened. Zoro had a sword in hand already, in case they had to take immediate action. Chopper grabbed a rumble ball and held it close to his mouth, ready to spring into a fight. Nami took took out her climatact as Usopp slowly pulled out his slingshot. Ace gave them another dark grin.

"Luffy, what do we do?" Luffy thought quickly for a second, thinking of any clues to stop a fight, but found none. "Luffy!"

"I don't know!" Luffy's eyes were now on his nakama. They could all see the panic in his eyes. "I don't know _what_ to do!"

"Luffy, look out!" As Luffy turned around, he saw Ace raise his fiery fist into attack position. Zoro was ready to jump in front of Luffy to take the hit, but noticed Ace freeze. Ace suddenly stopped raising his fist, the fire on it going out. He blinked a few times before staring at the crew members and their weapons.

"What happened?" He asked. When he noticed his fist in attack position, he suddenly knew the answer. "I...I'm sorry." He quickly lowered his fist and looked at the ground, like a small child who was just scolded. Luffy took a step closer, then stopped.

"Ace?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"Hey, it's okay..." Ace just continued to stare at the floor.

"I think I'm gonna go take a nap... maybe that'll help..." Ace made his way out of the kitchen and down to the mens quarters. Luffy continued to stand there, the crew silent. Zoro was the first one to break the silence.

"Should we leave him alone again?"

"Yeah, probably. He hasn't been getting much sleep anyway..." Luffy threw Sanji a narrowed look. "I still want my chicken that you took..."

XXDXX

Ace stared at the wall once again, as he did the first time he woke up just a week ago. He felt to so dead inside. It was weird, not being able to control yourself. No, it wasn't weird. It was terrifying. Not knowing what you would do next, or who you might hurt, even kill. Ace held his arms and sighed. He didn't know what he was gonna do...

_'You can always kill these weaklings, you know...' _A dark voice said in Ace's mind. Ace's eyes widened, his nails digging into his skin and drawing blood. _'It's simple. Just let me come out... I'll destroy them all for you. Even the ones who wanted you dead ten years... Just let me out, and let me take over...'_

_'No. No, no, no, no, no! I don't want anyone dead! No one!' _Ace quickly closed his eyes.

_'Not even Blackbeard, the one who killed your father?'_ Ace's eyes shot open at the horrible memory.

---

_Ace opened his eyes slowly. He felt excruciating pain in his mid section as he took in a breath. Luffy was still in front of him, holding him close. "Ace, we thought we lost you for a minute..." Silent tears rolled down the younger ones cheeks. "You were talking about dying and stuff... Luckily one of the doctors actually saved you..." Ace tried to smile._

_"S-Sorry L-Lu..." Ace let out a cough and grit his teeth. He felt so much pain all over. "W-Where's Whiteb-beared?" He tried to turn his head and suddenly saw his father. Ace couldn't believe his eyes._

_His father was dead. He had died standing up, half of his face gone. And yet, not a single mark on his back. Ace felt sick to his stomach as he saw Blackbeard use Whitebeards power to destroy Marine Headquarters. He knew Teach was gonna do this... he had told Ace his whole plan before turning him over to the marines. Ace tried to move his arms, but nothing worked. All he could do was listen to Luffy call his name as he slipped back into the darkness..._

_---_

_'You sure you don't want me to kill Blackbeard? Or maybe even Akainu? After all, that marine did try to kill your brother...'_

_'Shut up.'_

_'Oh come one, Ace. You know you wanna get your revenge on the ones who killed your nakama.' The voice taunted._

_'I said shut the hell up!' _More blood continued to seep as Ace dug his nails deeper into his skin. _'Just leave me the fuck alone!!' _ And that was when the pain started. The darkness was eating at his insides again, causing more and more pain. He bit his lip to hold in a yell of pain, not wanting anyone to gather around him at the moment. Ace closed his eyes and wished for it all to end...

**---**

**Yeah, I ran out of ideas, so I ended it here...  
I actually liked the last paragraph (much to my morbid-ness) I dunno why...  
Anywho, thanks for all reviews!! The next chappy should be out within the week! :)  
(I'm off to go watch Ninja Assassin again! And to watch Alice in Wonderland~!)**

**Take care everyone~! ^_~**


	11. Chapter 11: Losing It

Depressed  
Chapter Eleven: Losing It

**Summary: Ace finally loses some of his nerve...**

**XXDXX  
But I know just what it feels like to have a voice in the back of my head. It's like a face I hold inside. A face that awakes when I close my eyes. A face that watches every time I lie. A face that laughs every time I fall. It watches everything. So I know that when it's time to sink or swim, that the face inside is hearing me, right beneath my skin. It's like I'm paranoid, looking over my back. It's like a whirlwinds inside of my head. It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within, it's like the face inside is right beneath my skin.**

**-Linkin Park (Papercut)  
XXDXX**

_'I said shut the hell up!' Blood continued to seep as Ace dug his nails deeper into his skin. 'Just leave me the fuck alone!!' Then the pain started. Ace bit his lip to hold in a yell of pain, not wanting anyone to hear him and worry. He closed his eyes and wished for it all to end..._

* * *

Ace opened his eyes and gave out a low groan, turning over onto his back to get somewhat comfortable. He searched the room for a clock and found one. It read 6:01 PM. He brought one hand up to his forehead with a deep sigh. His fingernails had dried blood on them. On his upper arms, near the shoulders, were the cuts he formed with his nails; dried blood creating somewhat of a scab on them. His whole body ached, but he didn't even care. The only thing that was on his mind was Luffy. He was worried how this might be affecting him and his health. He was also worried about Luffy's safety. Ace knew that as long as Luffy was near him, he was in great danger. _'And to think this whole time I've been trying to keep Luffy safe from others, I'm the one who's the danger to him...'_ Ace gave a weak chuckle at how ironic it was.

_---_

_"Ace?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"How come people are always beating me up?"_

_"Cause you're a freak." Ace answered normally, still doing the dishes._

_"Do...do you think I'm a freak?"_

_"Of coarse I do." Ace heard Luffy give a small gasp. "But I prefer to have a freak for a brother."_

_"Really?" Ace turned around and smiled at his brother._

_"Of coarse."_

_"Is that why you beat up all the boys that tease me and tie me in knots?"_

_"Yep. I also don't want you to be like me..." Luffy blinked with curious eyes._

_"Why don't you want me to be like you?"_

_"Oh, no reason..."_

_"Ace~! Tell me please?"_

_"Nope, you'll understand when you're older. Now go finish your chores before gramps comes home."_

_"Okay!"_

_---_

Ace knew Luffy probably understood that now. He didn't want Luffy to be constantly being teased like he was when he was younger. He didn't want Luffy to be like that, all full of anger and darkness. As tired as he was, Ace sat up and walked over to a bookshelf on the other side of the room, curious to see what the men of the crew read. He saw a few katana books, along with some culinary books. There was a book on marksmanship and building. He also saw many different types of medical books. The second to the last book was a comic book. He chuckled, noticing the cover read 'PirateBoy'. It was Luffy's favorite comic. And next to that book was Alice in Wonderland. Ace recognized that as Luffy's favorite text book. It wasn't the kid version, it was the full five-hundred page book, filled with adventure, darkness, and very little romance. Ace went to pick up the book of his interest when a magazine fell off the self. As he went to pick it up, he noticed it was a 'graphic' magazine. Just like the kind he found under Gramps' bed one time...

---

_Ace and Luffy came home from the store to find a small note on the kitchen table. As Ace put the groceries down, he picked up and read the note aloud._

_"Dear Ace and Luffy,_

_Below I have left a number of chores I want done before I get home at seven. If they are not done, I will be forced to punish you properly: Two-hundred pushups for Ace and a hundred twenty for Luffy. Ace, you're in charge till I get home._

_ -Love your Grandpa, Garp._

_Chores:_

_Luffy: Mopping the kitchen floor, wiping down the bedroom windows, take out the trash and wipe down the bookshelf._

_Ace: Wash the dishes, wiping down the tables, wiping down the bathroom, kitchen and living room windows, mopping the bathroom floor, washing out the toilet, wash all mirrors, do laundry, and feed the dog down the road. Oh, and clean under all the beds, chairs and couches."_

_Ace groaned as he finished reading the note. "Luffy, chore time."_

_"Again? We just did this three days ago!"_

_"Gramps orders. Here's your list of chores." Luffy groaned too as he read his to-do list._

_"Aw man... I wanted to take a nap... How much you got?" Luffy peeked at Ace's list and shuddered slightly. "Sucks to be you."_

_"Tell me about it..." Ace knew that he was only twelve, but even twelve year olds have a hard time doing this many chores. At least Luffy's were fit for a nine year old...sort of. "Alright, time to get to work. We only have five hours to do these till gramps comes home."_

_"What's the punishment this time?"_

_"Pushups...lots and lots of them."_

_"Alright... If you need me, I'll be in the living room with the bookshelf."_

_"Ok, and hey, no reading!" Ace heard a small pout as Luffy ran into the other room. Ace gave another sigh as he looked at his list. "Might as well get the bathroom over with..."_

_Ace put on blue gloves, grabbed a yellow sponge, and put on a mask over his mouth as he stood in front of the toilet; a can of powered disinfectant in one hand. The toilet seemed to glare at him as glared right back at it. Ace knelt in front of the toilet, putting the disinfectant in the water and letting it soak for a few minutes. As he went to go scrub the inside walls, the toilet flushed. The sponge was sucked from Ace's hands, and all he could do was watch in surprise as the sponge went down the 'drain'. He glared harder at the toilet. "So that's how it's gonna be, huh? Well bring it on..." Ace started to scrub away with his gloves..._

_Ace was almost down with the toilet when the toilet flushed again, tearing both over-sized gloves off Ace's hands. He blinked, not processing what had happened at first. When he finally understood, he growled. "God dammit!" Luffy looked up at the ceiling and shook his head._

_"That's the third time he's yelled at that toilet this month..." Luffy went back to reading Alice in Wonderland._

_After he finished the toilet, mirrors and dishes, Ace moved onto wiping the table. He ringed out the rag and wiped it across the shiny surface of the kitchen table. The dark brown wood shined in the sunlight that came through the now clean windows. "Oi, Luffy!"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"What are you doing?"_

_"I'm cleaning the bedroom windows."_

_"What chores did you finish?"_

_"Bookshelf, trash and half of the kitchen floor."_

_"Ok, just checking." Ace looked at the table closely, making sure not a single area was missed. Once the table passed the inspection, Ace nodded proudly to himself. He set the rag in the sink and took a step, slipping on the wet floor. He fell to the ground bringing down a chair and mop with him._

_"You okay, Ace? Did you fall asleep again?"_

_"Luffy..." Ace growled. "You didn't wipe up the floor..."_

_"Oh... my bad!"_

_"Don't 'my bad' me! Get down here and wipe it up! And finish the floor!" Ace slowly made his way to his feet, rubbing the back of his head. "That hurt... But no time to slow down... On to the beds!" Ace made his way to Garp's room to clean out the bed. He whistled a tune as he reached under the bed. If he felt clothes, he needed to wash them. If he felt food, well, that's just disgusting. But instead, he found three magazines under his grandfathers bed. He pulled them out and- "What the hell? That dirty old man..." Ace stared at the half naked girl on one of the covers. Luffy walked into the room and saw the pictures._

_"Ace, are those yours?"_

_"Of coarse not. They belong to gramps..." Ace quickly looked at Luffy. "Don't tell gramps we found these."_

_"Why?"_

_"Cause I'm gonna burn them... so don't tell." Luffy smiled._

_"I would never tell on my nii-chan." Ace smiled back._

_"Thanks."_

_---_

Ace could only guess who the magazine belonged to, but he was almost sure they belonged to Sanji. "Damn pervert..." Ace picked up the item and burnt it in seconds. "Ah, I think I actually miss those time with Lu..." Ace smiled. He was feeling a little cheerier now, thanks to that odd memory. He picked up a book and sat down. The cover read Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton. Ace opened up to the first page and started reading...

XXDXX

"There's your damn chicken. Happy now?"

"Thanks Sanji!" Luffy ate his pieces of chicken with delight as the annyoed cook did the dishes.

"...And that's how I ended up on my island!" Usopp finished. Chopper gazed at the marksman with awe.

"Sugei...Did that really happen, Usopp?"

"Nope, it was another lie."

"Nani? How do you know, Zoro?"

"He always lies..."

"Oi, Luffy. Should we check up on Ace?"

"Nah, if anything, he's still asleep. He loves his sleep, so better to let him sleep in then waking him up early."

"Let me guess, you learned that the hard way?" Nami asked, barely curious in his answer.

"Yep!"

---

_Luffy tiptoed out of his room, past the stairs and bathroom and into Ace's bedroom. It was only six AM, but Luffy's stomach was already growling. And Luffy knew better then to wake up his grandpa before eight. He found Ace snoring quietly on his bed, his body tucked away warmly under the orange blankets. At first, Luffy questioned if he should wake Ace up early, but his stomach answered with a loud growl. "Ah, why not. What's the worst that could happen?" Luffy poked Ace in the arm, but nothing happened. This time he poked Ace in the face. In response, he got a twitch. Luffy slightly chuckled. "Pst, Ace..." He poked Ace in the ribs and got another twitch. He poked there again. This time, the snoring stopped. Ace turned over on his side, his back facing Luffy. Luffy blinked and poked Ace one last time; this time it was in the middle of his back. Ace's eyes shot open. He quickly faced Luffy, a chubby glare on his face._

_"Quite poking me!" Ace took Luffy's arms and tied them into a knot before laying back down and falling asleep. Luffy blinked, his arms and hands were in knots behind his back. He made his way back to his room and sat there until eight, the time when it was safe enough to wake Ace up and ask him to undo the knots..._

_---_

Luffy grinned at the memory, earning questioned looks from the crew. But, of coarse, he didn't notice them. "Ah, I miss those times..." Luffy said to himself, earning even more questioned looks. "Neh, Robin?" Robin looked up from the old, worn book she was reading.

"Yes, Captain-san?"

"Can I--" Luffy suddenly stopped, catching everyone's attention.

"Luffy? Is something wrong?"

"I thought I heard Ace's voice for a second..."

"Well, he _is_ in the--"

"No, I mean, it sounded like he was yelling..." The crew listened closely, but heard nothing. "Ah, I guess I was--"

"_Get it out of me!!_" A voice echoed through the ship.

"Ace!" Luffy quickly jumped from his seat and ran to the mens quarters as fast as he could. He slammed open the door and ran into the room. He found Ace kneeling on the floor, a book next to his knee. "Ac--"

"Get it out, get it out!" Ace yelled, clawing at his arm repeatedly. "_Get it out of me!_"

"Chopper!" The rest of the crew ran in. Chopper ran up to Ace and stuck him with a needle. A few seconds later, Ace was completely out. Blood dripped down his arms from the self-inflicted scratches. As Chopper carefully laid Ace down on a bed, Luffy looked over to Chopper worriedly. "Chopper, what's wrong with Ace?"

"By the way he was clawing at his arms, I'd say he probably was hallucinating. Most people who can't control themselves usually feel as if there's something inside their skin..." Luffy remained silent for a few seconds.

"How can we treat it?"

"Well, Doctrine only told me very little about psychology... I'll see what I can do." Chopper left the room with a couple of his medical books. Zoro sat in a hammock as Sanji and Nami headed back onto deck. Robin remained standing near the stairs while Usopp leaned against the bookshelf. Luffy took a seat next to Ace's bed and sighed.

"He'll be ok, Luffy." Robin said, her voice soothing like a mothers.

"She's right, Luffy. I don't think you have to worry much..." Usopp added. "After what your brothers been through, I'm sure he'll through this just fine..."

"I guess your right..." For forty minutes, the three pirates remained in the room chatting quietly until Ace's eyes opened. "Hey, Ace."

"Hey, Lu. Sorry about earlier... I don't know what came over me. It was... it was like there was something in my skin... I kinda lost my nerve a little..." Luffy pushed a few hairs out of Ace's face.

"Don't worry, you'll be better soon..." Ace gave a smile. Leave it to Luffy to tell someone as messed up as Ace that.

"Hey, can I go outside? I need some fresh air..."

"Sure." Ace sat up and looked at his arms. "You were scratching pretty hard..."

"I can see that... Odd, I didn't feel a thing." Ace shrugged this off and smiled. Luffy escorted up the stairs, Zoro and Robin right behind them. As Ace walked onto the deck, he could hear Usopp talk to himself in the mens quarters.

"Where the hell did my magazine go?" Ace gave a mischievous grin as he took a breath of the fresh ocean air...

**---  
By far, the worst chapter yet. Why did I add the magazine part in? I dunno. I felt random. And you can tell I was getting a little stressed towards the end of the chapter...**

**I did the stupidest thing four days ago... I was trying to unlock my moms door with a pair of pliers, and they slipped. I banged myself in the head with the pliers and started laughing. (I laugh when I'm hurt...its fun) That was four days ago, and my head still hurts... Lesson learned: plier would make a great torture weapon! XD**

**Ah, I'll edit this chapter better some other time... right now I got like... three different ideas for stories running through my head. So I'm gonna go write them down on paper...**

**Thank you all so much for the reviews and alerts!! You all deserve cookies and cake! 3**


	12. Chapter 12: Cure

Depressed  
Chapter Twelve: Only Way

**Summary: Chopper thinks he knows how to stop the darkness in Ace's mind...**

**XXDXX  
Nobody hears me, I suffer the silence. Can you tell me it's over now? There's a hate inside of me like some kind of master. I try to save you but I can't find the answer. I'm holding onto you, I'll never let go. I need you with me as I enter the shadows.  
-Red (Shadows)  
XXDXX**

_Luffy escorted his brother up the stairs, Zoro and Robin following behind closely. As Ace walked onto the deck, he heard Usopp talk to himself. "Where the hell did my magazine go?" Ace gave a mischievous grin as he took a breath of the fresh ocean air..._

* * *

Ace took in a deep breath of the salted ocean air, the slight breeze blowing through black hair. The way the waves crashed against the sailing ship sounded like he was standing on the edge of a cliff back at Fuschia village, bringing back old childhood memories. As he stared into the beautiful shimmering ocean, he could see numerous fish jump from the surface, almost looking as if they wanted to say hello to him. Ace had to smile. He was lucky to be here, with his brother, alive and well. (Actually, not so well.)

The younger man beside him gave a huge grin as he playfully reached out towards the jumping fish, wanting so badly to touch one. Even at the age of seventeen, Monkey D. Luffy was still like a kid in so many ways. Luffy let out a laugh as one of the fish jumped right into his hand, said hello, and jumped back into the ocean. To Ace, it brought back a small memory to mind.

---

_Ace held out goldfish in a plastic bag to his twelve year old brother, who stared curiously at the fish with a grin. "Is that for me, Ace?"_

_"Yep, caught it myself." Luffy took the bag carefully and set it on the kitchen table. He grabbed a small glass fishbowl and filled it with the cleanest freshwater. He then carefully transfered the fish from the bag into the bowl, his older brother ready to save the fish if needed._

_"Wow! Thanks Ace! It's awesome!" Ace grinned._

_"So what are ya gonna name it?"_

_"Shi, shi, shi! I'm gonna name him Acey~!" Luffy looked at Ace who was slightly confused. "What's wrong?"_

_"You're naming him after me?"_

_"Of coarse!" Ace still remained confused, his brow furrowed._

_"Why?" Luffy smiled brightly._

_"Because I love you! And since you caught this fish for me, I thought it would be a nice name!" Ace was taken by surprise, but gave a kind smile before patting Luffy's head._

_"Thanks, Lu."_

_---_

Luffy quick chuckle. "Hey Ace, remember when you got me that fish?" Ace blinked before looking at Luffy.

"I was just thinking of that... You named him Acey..." Ace said in a low voice.

"That's right!"

"What happened to Acey anyway? I know he was till alive when I left the island..."

"On the day I left, I let him back out into the ocean..."

"He was one big goldfish..." Luffy gave another chuckle. "How big was he when I left? As big as your arm?"

"Yep! And when I let him go, he was as big as my leg!" Ace stared at Luffy.

"I don't think I caught a normal goldfish then..." After a few seconds of silence, the two brothers broke into laughter. They had no idea exactly what they were laughing about, but still, they continued on. It wasn't till the two brothers finally calmed down did Chopper make his way towards them.

"Hey Chopper. What's wrong?"

"I found out we can help Ace..."

"And...?" Chopper took in a deep breath.

"Well, we would have to send someone into your mind psychologically, which means we would need to hypnotize them to enter your mind. After they complete entering your mid, they must somehow _persuade_ the darkness to come out in a physical form. Once in physical form, someone must destroy or it will cause great chaos." Luffy stared at Chopper completely lost.

"So...we can send Luffy into my mind. It sounds easy."

"But it's not simple, Ace. There are _many_ dangers of doing this. If Luffy were to try and attack the darkness and misses, he could end up hitting one of your memories. If that happens, it could be destroyed. Another danger is he could possibly die, if not, you could too. It may sound easy, it's far from that." Ace looked at Luffy who was confused out of his mind. "So, do you want to go through with this? If yes, I'll be the one who will hypnotize both of you."

"He'll do it."

"No, Luffy. I can't put you in danger again."

"I don't care, Ace." Luffy replied, his voice stern. "I don't wanna lose my brother again."

"Lu..."

"Please, Ace, let me do this. I know I can." Ace gave a frustrated sigh.

"...Okay." Chopper nodded.

"I'll tell everyone what the plan is."

"Okay. Thanks Chopper." Chopper ran off to gather crew. "Luffy, are you sure you want to do this?" Luffy gave a deep nod. "Okay." Ace pulled his little into a hug. "Just be safe, okay?"

"I will. You be safe too." Ace didn't reply...

XXDXX

The crew sat around the two brothers as laid side by side on the deck in lawn chairs. "Now Luffy, you _must_ remember not to attack the darkness, no matter how provoking it may be. If you do attack, you may end up destroying precious memories."

"Hai."

"And Ace, while Luffy is persuading the darkness, you'll probably be just floating in darkness."

"Okay."

"Now, you two ready?" Ace reached out to Luffy's hand, who gladly took it. As they held each others hand, they each gave a deep nod.

"Ready." Chopper took out a pendulum and held it in front of Ace. He gently swung it back and forth.

"Ace, are you feeling sleepy at all?"

"Yes..." Ace replied with a slight slur. A few more seconds later and Ace was out cold.

"That worked fast..." Zoro commented, before narrowed eyes turned to him. "Sorry." Chopper moved over to Luffy and swung the object in front of him.

"Now Luffy, I need you to enter Ace's mind. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes..."

"Where are you now?" Luffy didn't reply, his eyes closed. "He's in Ace's mind..."

"I hope Luffy can do this..." Nami said, worried for her dear captain and his brother.

"Until one of them wakes up, we're just gonna have to wait to see what happens." Robin gave a small sigh.

"Robin, could you read to us until they wake up?" Usopp asked curiously.

"Baka, Robin won't--"

"Sure. I don't mind." Robin brought out her book as the crew gathered closer, her soothing voice putting a few members into a deep sleep...

**- - -**

**Okay, I did NOT know how to end this. So I just ended it quickly.**

**-lilnitenurse- You were so close to guessing what was going on! $20 dollars to this young lady! :D And thank you sooo much for the suggestions! ^-^ But I've decided to go with this mind-entering thingy. Sorry ^_^"**

**-SilverStream101- Aw thank you so much for wishing me well. And yes, it's just like having a migraine. It still hurts too, which is quite weird...**

**-Harumi95- It might have been from Morning Wake Up Call, but I'm not quite sure...that's the only thing I wrote where Ace yells at an inanimate object. ^_^**

**-Voquo- Don't worry, your brothers will soon become like Ace! And I know, but Garp usually does over do it with Ace and Luffy...poor kids. :(**

**But thank you everyone for all the reviews! Wow, 61 reviews... When I started this, I didn't think anyone would like it. so THANK YOU ALL SOOO MUCH! You all really know how to make a person happy :)**


	13. Chapter 13: Minding

Depressed  
Chapter Thirteen: Entering The Mind

**Summary: Luffy enters Ace's mind and meets the darkness...**

**XXDXX  
I'm not afraid, I'm lost in you. Everywhere I run, everywhere I turn. I find myself in you. Lost in you. Something I can't find, I cannot escape. I could spend my life lost in you!  
-Red (Lost) **

**XXDXX**

_Robin brought out the book she was currently reading as the crew gathered closer, her soothing voice sending a few members into a deep sleep..._

* * *

Chopper ran over to Ace and Luffy's side, checking their heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. Everything seemed to be normal. But as Chopper checked Ace's temperature, he noticed the thermometer read 106.8°. Chopper frowned. He knew Ace's body temperature was naturally high due to the Mera Mera no Mi, but even 106 was a little high. "Robin, could you please get me a cloth soaked with water please?"

"Sure." Robin quietly stood up, not wanting to awake her sleeping nakama. As Chopper waited for the soaked cloth, he wondered how Luffy was doing in Ace's mind.

XXDXX  
Luffy walked through darkness, searching for anything that proved as evidence that he was in his brothers mind. But as he walked, he noticed small little orbs start to appear around him; each second growing bigger and brighter. "Ah, those must be Ace's memories!" Luffy started to run to the orbs and suddenly noticed how big they actually were: They were at least seven feet tall and four feet wide. "Woah... they're huge..." Luffy jumped into the air to try and get a better view of the place. Fore miles and miles around, nothing but orbs appeared. "That's a lot of memories." For awhile, Luffy did nothing but walk around all the orbs, wondering which orb held what memory. Luffy couldn't resist it anymore as he softly poked an orb; the surface of it rippling. He was about to poke it again when he suddenly felt that he was being watched. He quickly turned around and saw a shadowy mass float in front of him.

"Well, if it isn't Luffy."

"I'm guessing your the 'darkness'."

"That is correct." As the darkness spoke, it formed into the shape of Ace. "And I know what you're trying to do... That reindeer told you to persuade me to leave Ace's mind." Luffy stood there quietly. Well, looks like he couldn't persuade it now it knew what his plan was. "It's quite a lovely mind, is it not?"

"Of course it is. It's Ace's mind." The darkness gave a grin, sending small shivers down Luffy's spine.

"Well, I'm getting bored..."

"Then leave Ace's mind if it's so boring."

"Well, I'm not leaving the mind till you're dead. And I certainly can't leave with Ace still alive. After all, he's the only one who can actually destroy me." Luffy's hands curled into fists, a look of determination came upon his face.

"I won't let you harm Ace."

"Well, you've been failing quite miserably at that. Did you know that every time Ace is awake, he goes through so much pain by just breathing?"

"No..."

"If the pain gets to be too much, usually the carrier gives into the pain. But you know how stubborn Ace can be. So no matter how much pain I put him through, he just never seems to give up." Luffy let out a low growl.

"Leave Ace alone." The darkness smirked.

"Now, why would I do that?" Not a second after the darkness spoke, Luffy could hear Ace's voice echo all around; pain and suffering filled the emotional yell. Luffy raised his fist into the air and launched it at the dark figure...

XXDXX

Ace slowly opened his eyes. He grabbed his head and let out a low groan. "Ugh, I feel like shit." His voice was hoarse, as if he had been screaming for hours on end. As the logia user sat up, he looked around curiously. "Where am I?" His words echoed through the darkness that he was surrounded by. As Ace floated in place, he wondered how Luffy was doing. "That baka, if he destroys even one memory..."

XXDXX

Luffy took in deep breaths as he kneeled on the ground; sweat trickling down his face and neck. He had been throwing attacks at the darkness for over ten minutes straight, but the darkness easily avoided them. Several times though, Luffy had almost hit one of Ace's memory orbs.

"You can't win."

"Yes I can. And I will for Ace's sake!" As Luffy ran towards the darkness once again, he tripped on his feet. As he tumbled past the darkness, he rolled right into an orb; disappearing into it. The dark figure stood there and blinked at the orb.

"Well, that was unexpected."

XXDXX  
Luffy quickly opened his eyes and stood up, checking out his surroundings. He saw florescent green trees around. He immediately recognized it as the place Ace had described to him; the place where he was raised by Garp. Luffy blinked as he saw Garp with black hair chasing a small infant who was crawling at an alarming speed. It wasn't till Luffy got closer did he realize the infant was none other then his brother. "Is...is this one of Ace's memories?" Luffy asked himself. He saw Garp make weird faces for Ace, causing the small child to laugh. Luffy gave a smile too. But, as he smiled, he felt...bubbly inside. Why did he feel bubbly? Luffy looked at Ace once more before realizing what was happening. "I can feel what is feeling right now... And right now, he feels happy and bubbly. The way a child does when they're happy..." Luffy gave off another smile as Ace clapped at Garp's weird faces...

**---**

**Blah, im really disappointed in this chapter. i know i could have done way better. but next week, im editing some of the earlier chapter, so keep an eye out for them. :)**

**Well, Shanks has appeared in the story and ended the war! Yay! (Isn't completely happy though, since I thought maybe Ace was gonna be revived... somehow...)**

**-1337kitsune- Noooo! Don't feel unloved! You're very loved! *Gives giant hug* Yep, I know VeronicaTheMischevious is waaaaaay better than me! :D and there are others too that are better than me, and i respect them all! (you're one of them! ^^)  
-allycat18- -Namikaze naruko14- wanna thank you both for the support~! Arigato! :D It means alot to me! ^^  
-Voquo- I was a little worried about that too, if Ace and Luffy couldn't get hypnotized. I just pray that they can. O.O (Well, we all know Luffy can... but im not sure bout Ace-san...)  
-Harumi95- ooh, I can't wait for the next chapter in your story! it's killing me! XD  
-lilnitenurse- ooh cake! you're the best! :D *does weird little happy dance*  
-SilverStream101- hmm...Luffy destroying Ace's mind... i like the sound of that! :D jkjk. (HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!) But seriously, that does sound like an option... heh heh heh *goes off to write***

**Arigato for all the beautiful reviews everyone! I hope you all take care!**


	14. Chapter 14: Memories

Depressed

Chapter Fourteen: More Memories

**Summary: Luffy travels through more of Ace's memories...**

**XXDXX  
"Isn't it interesting how I manage to cause so much trouble while you cause none?" "Well it's because I'm saving it all up for that one amazing prank. It'll be the best ever." "Oh... I can't wait to see it." "No, you aren't." "Why not?" "Cause I'm pulling the prank on you."  
-Unknown........ ;)  
XXDXX**

_Luffy smiled as he watched younger Ace playfully reach for Garp's silly faces, a warm feeling bubbling inside him. "I guess I can feel the emotions Ace is currently feeling... The feeling of a happy child with no worries or cares in this world..." Luffy smiled warmly at Ace's memory..._

* * *

Luffy chuckled softly at Ace, who was still reaching for Garp's silly faces; the warm feeling still bubbling in his chest. It was amazing, to feel the feelings and emotions of another person inside you. It was bizarre, yet it felt almost normal to Luffy. It felt _familiar_. But Luffy was cut short of his thoughts when he suddenly noticed the memory he was currently in fade and twist in to blackness. He let out a surprised yelp as he felt himself be violently jerked backwards...

XXDXX  
The darkness still stood near the orb his opponent had suddenly stumbled into not five minutes ago, waiting almost patiently. Not a second later, Luffy was quickly spit from the memory orb and was sent rolling into yet another orb. The darkness sweat dropped and slouched a little. "Of all the people in the world..." The darkness sighed, "...why did I have to face this one..."  
XXDXX

Luffy summersaulted backwards on soft green grass that he found all too familiar. As he got his bearings straight, he slowly stood up, still slightly dizzy from all the tumbling. As his world stopped spinning, he removed his hand from his head. He could smell the sea from where he was standing, which was on the edge of huge cliff. To his left he saw two boys sitting next to a maple tree. As he edged closer towards the boys, he suddenly recognized who they were. It was him and Ace when they were younger. Between them was a piece of wood with a bottle of rum that was half empty; the missing half in two small bowls next to it. "You know, if we share a drink together, we'll be brothers!" Ace said, a huge grin on his tiny, freckled face. He picked up one bowl and gave it to younger Luffy, keeping the other one his hand. "From today on we're brothers!" The two clicked their bowls together in a small toast and drank their drink. "To brotherhood!" As they swallowed the last of it, they both went into small coughing fits, the alcohol burning their throats. Older Luffy could feel the pain in his throat from the alcohol as he watched Ace break into laughter.

"I'm so glad we're brothers now, Ace." Ace smiled, patting Luffy on the head.

"So am I, Lu. Just don't tell Garp we did this... He wouldn't be too happy that I let you drink rum."

"Okay. Hey, Ace-nii-chan? Do you think one day... we'll sail on the ship for awhile? Once we've both become famous pirates?" Little Luffy asked, running a pattern his finger through the smooth grass he sat on.

"I'm sure we will one day, Lu. After all, brothers have to have some adventures on the open sea together."

"Ace! Luffy! Where are you two trouble makers hiding?" They heard Garp calling. Luffy stood up and held his hand out to his new older brother.

"Ready, nii-chan?" Ace grinned.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Older Luffy felt Ace's pride bubble inside him. He gave yet another kind smile as he watched his younger self and brother walk towards their village hand in hand. As the memory started to twist and fade like the last one did, Luffy wasn't as surprised when he was jerked out of the memory again. As he tumbled out of the orb, he could see the darkness lunging to grab him as he headed for yet another orb. But the darkness' fingers slipped from Luffy's vest as his opponent was completely swallowed by a different orb; letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Just my luck..."

XXDXX  
Luffy stood on the deck of a pirate ship, the deck beneath him swaying with the waves. He found the ship empty except for two pirates in the middle of broad boat. He could instantly tell the one kneeling on the ground with a sponge in hand was Ace, no older then nine-teen. The other pirate standing next to him with the pineapple shaped hair, Luffy identified as Marco. He could see a pail of water next to Ace's hands, soapy bubbles overflowing. Ace put on an annoyed look and rubbed the back of his neck. "I still don't know why I'm the only one doing this."

"For the last time, Ace. _You_ were the one who did it, so you do the punishment. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime."

"Oh _come on_." Ace whined slightly. "You know it was damn funny." Marco didn't reply as he chuckled inwardly. Well, he _did_ find it a little humorous...

"See! You do find it hilarious!" Marco sighed.

"Alright, I did. But because of you, Thatch now has to go for two months with baby pink and blue hair... _That_ is why you are doing this by _yourself_." Ace slightly pouted before scrubbing the deck again.

"At least I only used semi-permanent hair dye..." Marco gave a small frustrated sigh as he still continued to stand next to Ace.

"Just keep cleaning."

"Well it would go a lot faster if someone was helping me..."

"Quite complaining."

"Yes mother." Ace said sarcastically. Marco took in a deep breath, refraining himself from tackling the younger crew mate to the ground. "It's just I don't like doing chores... It reminds me of Garp..."

"Oh the poor baby..." Marco rolled his eyes. "Hey, w--" Marco found a soaking wet sponge thrown at his face not a second after he snapped his comeback at Ace. As the sponge slid and fell from Marco's face, his eye twitched with annoyance.

"What's wrong? Poor baby doesn't like sponges thrown at him?" Marco tackled Ace to the ground, the pail of soapy water tipped was long forgotten. Luffy laughed heartily as he watched the two fearsome pirates try strangling each other on the dirty deck.

"Ace, you always did the most funniest things." Luffy gave a small pout and crossed his arms as he saw the memory start to fade. "Aw, I really wanted to see how this turned out..."

XXDXX

The darkness stood in front the orb Luffy had been sucked into ten minutes ago, an irritated look in it's 'face'. "I'll get him this time..." But when Luffy was spit out of the memory, it knocked him to the ground; Luffy still flying towards another orb. Before the darkness could even get up and try to stop his opponent, Luffy was flown into yet another orb. The darkness stood up and took its 'hat' off violently, throwing it harshly to the ground.

"God dammit!"

**---**

**Yesh, the darkness is getting very annoyed that he can't kill Luffy cause he keeps going through memory orbs. And yesh, I'm starting to lose a little interest in this story. But the show must go on, right? Oh! By the way I updated chapters 1-4 already. I didn't add too many changes to them, so don't expect anything big. And I know Marco is ooc, sorry ^^"**

**So the next chapter will be all of memories again. That will be the last chapter of memories. And I'm thinking of making a small story out the Ace and Marco memory. Would ya like that? Just a small one-shot.**

**Also, I need one more challenge! o3o I got two already (i thank you two out there for giving me them) so i need one more to complete my dare. PLEASE, ANY IDEAS?? Thanks :)**

**-vivaciousRingo- Thank you soooo much for the reviews! :D *glomps*  
-Voquo- I know, maybe I shouldn't have sent Luffy into his mind o3o Sorry Ace-kun, but I couldn't resist .  
-1337kitsune- I know, I was freaking out like 'dammit! his hat! his hat! give it back before he leaves~' XD  
-AllHerosWearHats- I love your name! XD it's so true... ah, the last chap made ya happy! it makes me happy when someone like you reviews meh stories ^3^  
-allycat18- please don't beg on your knees~! it makes me nervous and hurry. o3o don't worry, i'll write more~**

**Thanks for the reviews everyone~! Have a nice day/night/week~!**


	15. Chapter 15: Birth and Death

Depressed  
Chapter Fifteen: Birth and Death

**Summary: Luffy enters the two worst memories Ace has in his mind...**

**XXDXX  
I've got one confession, a love deprivation. I've got a jet black heart, it's all fucked and it's falling apart. Woah, I'll never give in. Woah, I'll never give up. Woah, I'll never give in. I just wanna be, wanna be loved.  
-Papa Roach (...To Be Loved)  
XXDXX**

_The darkness threw its 'hat' on the ground harshly, letting a growl escape its throat; his opponent lost in yet another orb. "God dammit!"  


* * *

_

Luffy opened his eyes and found himself outside an old worn down bar, the name of long since faded. It was naturally a grim day, dark grey clouds covering the suns beautiful golden rays. Luffy felt as if he was in a dungeon, cold and dark where the only things he could feel. This was a place he wasn't familiar with, probably meaning it was the small village Ace grew up in. Speaking of Ace, Luffy turned around and looked down the old worn down dirt road, Ace slowly making his towards the bar. Luffy frowned. "He doesn't look so happy... This must be when all villagers hated him." Ace wore an old white t-shirt, dirt stains covered the old cloth. His black shorts too had dirt spots on them. The small boy, no older than 10, opened the door to the bar and stepped in, Luffy following close behind. As soon as he stepped into the bar, the strong smell of rum hit his nose. It was a crowded bar, much like Makino's was. Though, Luffy had to admit, she had way better service than here. Not to mention she also kept it a lot cleaner.

There was an argument going on between an older man and a younger man. The old man yelled, "I don't care if he's just a kid, he beat up _my_ group! _No one_ gets away with that!"

"Sir, calm down!" The older man said, pleadingly. The younger man pushed passed him and saw Ace enter the bar. The boy had an impassive face, no emotion showing whatsoever. Ace noticed something that looked like a gun in the older mans hand and frowned a little. "Sir, wa--" The man raised the gun and pulled the trigger.

Luffy took in a sharp breath, feeling the bullet dig into his chest. His hand wandered to the pain in his chest, but found no wound. He watched as Ace stood there, shocked. The whole bar fell quiet, staring at the older man and Ace. As Ace continued to stare at the man who just shot him, he hand went to the bullet hole in his chest. The man watched with wide as Ace felt the bullet in the wound, and pulled it out, flinching. He looked down at the bullet, his shaky hand and said item were colored red. He looked up with disbelieving and confused eyes before falling to the ground unconscious.

Luffy felt sick to his stomach. He watched the people of the bar do _absolutely_ _nothing_ but stand there looking. He couldn't believe it. How could people be so cruel to a child? After five minutes, he noticed Ace stir in the corner of his eye. The small boy sat up, his hand over his wound. Luffy saw silent tears roll down Ace's cheeks, but he knew they weren't from the pain. They were from betrayal. He could feel Ace's every emotions run through him as if they were his own. And at the moment, all he could feel was betrayal and hatred. Ace knew no one wanted him alive, they would make jokes of that in front of him. But to actually try and _kill_ him? While he was just a _child_? Ace stood there looking around the bar, no one dared to look him in the eyes. Finally, what seemed like forever to Luffy, a doctor walked up to Ace and started treating the wound. Luffy's body shook with rage...

XXDXX  
The darkness sat on the ground leaning against an orb. The mind works in mysterious ways. The darkness in ones mind could not enter a memory and could not destroy a memory, yet someone else can. "I hate this mind... I might as well just leave it..." The darkness mumbled. He saw Luffy tumble out of an orb, and this time, he didn't roll into another memory. The boy lay motionless on the ground, his hands curled into tight fists. He noticed tears of anger rolling down the boys cheeks. He looked at he orb the boy came rolling out of, then grinned.

"Now do you see why Ace has so much darkness inside him?" Luffy didn't respond. He felt like punching something, anything.

"How could they..." Luffy clenched his teeth.

"The worlds a cruel place, kid." The darkness stood up. "Well, I'm leaving. This mind is just too damn boring." The darkness started to walk away when he stopped, glancing back at Luffy who was now starting to stand. "Although, I think I'll send you through one more memory..." Luffy looked up and noticed the darkness standing in front of him, his fist flying towards his face. When the fist connected with Luffy's cheek, it hurt, as if he wasn't rubber. The punch sent Luffy flying towards an orb that sitting all by itself. "Have fun in that memory, kid." And with that, the darkness disappeared.  
XXDXX

Luffy found himself in the one place he'd rather forget. Marine Ford. He hated this place. It held horrible memories for him, and for Ace. He looked around and saw the war going on again, both pirates and marines falling to the ground dead. Luffy looked away and searched for Ace. The scaffold was destroyed, so that means he had already gotten Ace out of his handcuffs. He ran through (yes, through, like a ghost) people and objects as he searched for his brother. And that was when he felt Ace's panic build up inside of him. This only made Luffy search quicker, finally finding Ace. He stood on the side and watched as Ace took the hit of Akainu's lava fist again. The hand stuck out of Ace's stomach like a grotesque growth. "What a horrible memory to go through again..." Luffy said, looking away from the event. "Now I really hate that darkne--"

Luffy doubled over, gasping, unable to breathe, feeling the hot lava that had burned his brothers organs. He went into a coughing fit, trying to breathe. He looked up and saw Ace fall into Luffy's shoulder. Luffy couldn't breathe, it was impossible to as the the pain wouldn't go away. '_So this is the pain...'_ Luffy thought. _'That Ace felt...when he took the hit.'_ The pain was immense, the worst thing Luffy probably had ever felt.

"Old man! All you guys! And Luffy... Even though I've been good for nothing my whole life... Even though I carry the blood of a demon within me.... You guys still loved me... Thank you so much!!" Ace's voice echoed through the battlefield. Luffy could feel tears leak from his eyes as he was finally able to take in a breath. Then the pain just went away, and he felt so happy, so at peace. Everything turned bright white, the ground, the sky, everything. Luffy found himself alone with his brother, who was perfectly fine once again.

"Is...is this...heaven?" He heard Ace ask as he stood there looking around at the white emptiness.

"No, my son." The gentle voice was like soothing song to Ace's ears. A women appeared with long blond hair, her eyes a blue sapphire just like Ace's. On her cheeks lay soft freckles and a smile oh so gentle. Just looking at her made Luffy feel at peace. The strange woman walked up to Ace, bringing her hand to touch his cheek.

"M...Mother?" Ace found himself asking in disbelief. The woman nodded.

"Yes, Ace. I am you're mother." Ace's mouth twitched, before a full smile came to his lips. He gently embraced his mom, who did the same back. "I'm so happy to finally see you again." She said, almost on the verge of tears.

"Mother, I have so much I want to tell you... Thank you so much for bringing me into this world, though it the cost was your life." Ace said into the woman's shoulder, small sobs escaping him. "I... I..."

"Hush, it's okay, Ace. I already know." She said petting his soft black hair. Luffy gave a gentle smile at the scene. He had never seen Ace act like this before, like a small child. He was crying freely, something he never did before until his death. Rouge pulled away and placed a kiss on Ace's forehead. "I love you Ace. I hope you know that. And your father loves you too."

"Roger?" Ace found himself asking. Rouge nodded.

"I know he left you a very heavy burden, but he's always loved you. He never imagined people would treat you the way they did." Ace nodded.

"Tell him I said hi?" He asked, almost in a jokingly way. Rouge let out a small laugh.

"I will. I'll see you again soon, my son." And before Ace, or Luffy, could say anything, she vanished. The whiteness around them twisted into moving pictures pirates fight marines at Marine Ford. Ace flashed his eyes open, happy to be alive once again...

XXDXX  
Luffy flew out of that memory like his life depended on it. His body still ached from feeling Ace's pain, but payed no attention to it. He looked around for the darkness, but it was nowhere in sight. "Now..." Luffy said, cracking his knuckles. "It's time to kick it's ass..."

XxXxX

* * *

**I know that was a sucky ending and I know I haven't updated in a reaaaaaal long time. I blame that on my memory card. I lost it for awhile and I was too damn lazy to re-write this chapter. But yay! i found it today so I'm updating the story! Now I got to go work on Slavery For Life... sigh, so many updates need to be done. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! If I hit a 100, i think I'm cry of happiness and have a heart attack... Review please and have a great Mothers Day!! :D**


	16. Chapter 16: Problems

Depressed  
Chapter 16: Problems

**(EDITED 4/27/12)**

**Summary: Alright! It's time for Luffy to kick that darkness's ass! But he's currently having problems getting to that part. And speaking of problems, the crew are having a few of their own… and so is Ace.**

**XxDxX  
****So insignificant, sleeping dormant deep inside of me. Are you hiding away, lost, under the sewers? Maybe flying high in the clouds? Perhaps you're happy without me? So many seeds have been sown in the field, and who could sprout up so blessedly if I had died. I would have never felt sad at all. You will not hear me say I'm Sorry. Where is the light? Wonder if it's weeping somewhere…  
****-Akira Yamaoka (Room of Angel)  
****XxDxX**

_"Now…" Luffy said, cracking his knuckles. "It's time to kick it's ass…"  
_

* * *

Luffy panted as he continued to hunt for the thing he was searching for. He ran around more and more orbs, careful not to touch or fall into any of them. Some of these memories he wished he could destroy, they were horrible memories filled with pain and hate. But he couldn't. If he destroyed so much as a fraction of an orb, it might rearrange Ace's memory to they point where he could forget once important people in his life. Such as Luffy or Whitebeard. Luffy had been running around for five minutes but it seemed like hours to him. He had to hurry, Ace's time was running out and it was running out _fast_. The darkness was free now and there was no telling what he could do. But dammit, where the hell was it! Luffy stopped and looked around as he desperately tried to catch his breath. Finally, he threw his arms in the and shouted with all his might. "How the hell do I get out of here!"

~Back on the Merry Go~ (Five minutes ago)

The crew stared at Luffy's twitching body. A few minutes ago he had started to convulse violently, just like Ace had done when Chopper was fixing the wound Akainu gave him. They began to worry about Luffy now, hoping everything was going alright. They had no idea what was happening. Had he met the darkness yet? If so, who was winning? Usopp shot Chopper a nervous glance. "Do you think he's okay?"

"I really don't know. I hope he is." The crew continued to stand around the brothers in silence, waiting for any sign that meant they were okay. Ace's body suddenly tensed and Chopper ran over to his side. He pulled off the wet cloth and checked his temperature. "This isn't good…" Robin came to his side incase he needed help. "His temperature went up three degrees. Now it's at 109. We need to cool him somehow. Zoro, can you get me a–"

"Look out!" Robin quickly pulled Chopper away from Ace's body as a black, shadowy mass emerged from it, taking the form of Ace. The crew backed away and stared at black figure. Dark Ace cracked his neck and looked at the crew, grinning.

"So… You must be the brat's crew. Just as I thought, you all look like a bunch of pathetic weaklings." Sanji stepped towards the darkness.

"Where's Luffy?" Dark Ace shrugged.

"Don't know. He kept disappearing into memory orbs the whole time I was trying to fight him. I just left him there in the end." It looked around at the sky and ocean, taking in a deep breath. "Freedom feels great, being stuck in that mind for twenty years really gets stuffy. Well, I guess I better get moving. There's nothing really fun to do here."

"Oh no you don't," Usopp spoke up bravely. "You're not going anywhere just yet."

"Oh yea, you're right. I should probably destroy all of you first." It gave a grin that sent shivers down most of the crew's backs. "Now this…" It licked it's lips playfully. "Should be fun."

XxXxX

Ace didn't know what was wrong with him. From the moment he had woken up, he had felt like he was burning up with a horrible fever. And right now it felt as if his insides were cooking. He bit down a yell as the pain he found was quite familiar to the wound he revived from Akainu. He grabbed his stomach in pain and fell to the ground, letting out a yell of agonizing pain. He didn't know what to do, what was happening to him? He thought of Luffy and hoped Luffy was almost done with his job. The pain was almost unbearable as he continued to yell in pain.

XxXxX

"Chopper, why's he doing that?" Nami asked, pointing to the logia user. Ace was on the ground doubled over in pain, groaning.

"I think it might be from the fever."

"You're correct, little reindeer. See, once I'm powerful enough to leave the host's body, they begging to slowly die. I mean, you can't live without darkness, otherwise the balance of light and dark is uneven. So a darkness leaves a body, they get choose how the host will die. Heart-attack, stroke, suffocation… As for mine," he gestured towards Ace. "I chose from him to burn to death. Kind of ironic, ain't it? And you know what's even better? Once the host dies, everything and every_one _inside him dies too. Oh, and did I mention that if the host dies, I'm nearly indestructible?" Zoro furrowed his brows.

"And why's that?"

"Only the host from which I came from can defeat me," Dark Ace replied in a 'matter of fact' tone. "And I'd give Ace about… Oh, twenty more minutes or so to suffer. Until then, I'm gonna have a blast destroying all of you." The crew looked amongst each other almost nervously.

"We're gonna have to stall him until Luffy and Ace wake up."

"How do we do that?" Usopp asked, his knees shaking uncontrollably. "He's way more stronger than us! And we can't kill him!"

"We'll just keep attacking! We can't allow those two to die! We have to protect our captain!" And with that, the crew charged towards Dark Ace, who's grin grew ever bigger as he raised his fist.

XxXxX

"I… I have to find… the exit. Where the hell is it!" Luffy growled, tired and frustrated. He couldn't find an exit anywhere. He could hear Ace's yells of pain echo through the darkness and he seemed become frantic. "Ace, hold on. I'm gonna save you this time. I promise. But I really need to find a way out of here…" He stopped and shut his eyes tightly, thinking with all his might. How were you supposed to get out of a place that had no doors? "I'd have to leave the way i came in…" Luffy's eyes snapped open in realization. "That's it! I have to hypnotize myself out of Ace's mind!" Another one of Ace's yells echoed through the emptiness and Luffy looked up in concern. "Hold on, Ace. I'm getting out of here and I'm gonna kick that darkness's ass. Just hold on." Luffy sat down and crossed his legs, closing his eyes and concentrating on a door. "Just keep picturing a door. A big door that says 'exit.' Keep concentrating…" There was a small pop and Luffy opened his eyes. He stood and looked behind him and, lo and behold, there was a door that read EXIT. Luffy grinned with joy, feeling almost proud of himself. "I can't believe that worked." He ran towards it and pushed the doors open, throwing himself into the white light beyond them.

Luffy gasped for breath as he sat up with a jolt. Coughing, he look around, expecting everything to be peaceful and quiet on the deck. But it was far from that. His brother was on the ground just of the side of him groaning in pain. Luffy ran to him, setting a hand of Ace's shoulder. "Ace! Wake up!" He quickly pulled his hand away, finding his brother's temperature unusually hot. Ace was covered in sweat and his skin was turning a light red. Luffy looked up to call Chopper over but what he saw shocked him. His dear nakama were lying on the deck wounded and unconscious. His eyes narrowed with anger. He spotted Dark Ace standing in the middle of the deck holding Zoro by his neck, a hand raised in the air to make a final strike. "Zoro! Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" The darkness quickly dropped the swordsman to dodge the attack, leaving Zoro coughing for air on the ground.

"Huh, you finally made it out. Too bad you're too late though."

"What do you…"

"You're brother has about fifteen minutes left to live before he burns from the inside-out. Luffy quickly looked over to his brother. So that's why he was burning up. His black hair clung to his sweat-soaked forehead as he slowly doubled-up in pain. "There's no way he can beat me in his current state in the remaining time he has. You might as well say your goodbyes to him while you still can." Dark Ace leaned against the railing with his arms crossed, bored out of his mind again. Luffy ran to his brother's side and shook his shoulders. It felt like Ace's skin was on fire. Short, shallow breathes exited him and Luffy held his brother close into his arms. No, this was just like before!

"Ace, wake up! Come on, you gotta wake up!" He shook Ace more violently, but received no response. "You promised me you wouldn't leave me alone again! Don't break that promise twice, Ace…" His brother's breaths were getting quieter.

"Tick tock, Strawhat. He's got fourteen minutes left."

"Shut up!" Luffy spat before turning back to his brother. "Ace, remember that night when you took me out and we fell asleep under that tree with the fireflies? That night, we both made a promise. That if one of us were to die, then we would both die that day. And Ace this isn't that day… So please, wake up." Luffy could feel his eyes start to water up and he tried to blink them away when a look of determination sparked in his eyes. "Ace, this is gonna hurt." Luffy took Ace's knife off his belt and unsheathed it. This sparked Dark Ace's attention and he leaned in closer to see what the brat was planning. Was he gonna kill his brother? _'I didn't think he had it in him,'_ The darkness thought. But instead of bringing the dagger down on Ace's heart, he simple brought it down on Ace's arm, only grazing but still hit it enough to make a cut. Ace's eyes blinked open slowly and Luffy grinned. "It's about time you woke up!"

"It's about time you got out of my mind," Ace croaked hoarsely, coughing. He sat up and glanced at the situation he was in. Luffy's crew members were out of any more fight, Luffy looked a bit tired himself. Ace stood up, his breaths still uneven. He glared at the Dark Ace who actually seemed a little uneasy. "You're going down, asshole." Dark Ace quickly hid it's uneasiness, grinning and standing in a fight-ready position.

"Oh? Then bring it on. I've been waiting for this moment for twenty years."

**XxXxX  
****Finally, FINALLY redid the chapter! I'm so so so sorry! Gonna go work on the new chapter now! Thank you for still reading this! :**


	17. Quick Note

Okay, just wanted to let you guys know that I have NOT forgotten about this story and that you should keep your eyes out for the 17th chapter within the WEEK okay? Also, be expecting an update from the other stories: Girl Trouble, Brother Complex, and Slavery For Life.

Thank you all for keeping an eye out for this story and for hanging in for so long! It really means a lot to me! Thank you all so very, very, very much! Hugs, cookies, cake to ALL of you! :3

~roo the ice elemental


	18. Chapter 17: Unseen Feat

Depressed  
Chapter 17: Unseen Feat

**Summary: This is it. Ace vs Dark Ace. But will Ace win with his time quickly running out?**

**XxDxX  
Defeat is only the beginning of a new future accomplishment.**

**For me it's important to be in balance. To not let fear get in the way of things, to not worry so much about protecting yourself all the time.  
-John Frusciante  
****XxDxX**

_Dark Ace quickly hid it's uneasiness, grinning and standing in a fight-ready position. "Oh? Then bring it on. I've been waiting for this moment for twenty years."  
_

* * *

Ace stared down his darkness as he took in uneven breaths and his vision blurred on and off. Constant sweat caused his hair to stick to his forehead and drip into his eyes. Dark Ace seemed to grin at this. "I know how much pain you're in, you can't fool me. You won't win." Ace gave a weak grin in return.

"You never know until you try, right?" He glanced at Luffy who fell to his in exhaustion. Ace couldn't blame him. After all, in the past week Luffy hardly ate and slept. Not too mention his wounds from his earlier fight with Ace weren't completely healed yet. Luffy's strength was drained and there nothing he could do about. He clenched his teeth. He never thought something like this would happen, that the darkness insides him would try this hard to destroy his life. Lighting his fist on fire, readied himself and launched a fireball towards the darkness. Taking a quick step to the side, it dodged the coming attack with ease. Ace tried several more tactics. "Hiken! Higan! Hotarubi Hidaruma!" But every attack he launched, the darkness seemed to dodge with ease. And that wasn't good. Ace barely had the strength, much less continuously fire attacks that weren't even hitting his target.

"Eleven minutes, Ace. You know, you aren't looking too good. Maybe you should take a break."

"Shut up," Ace growled as he panted to catch his breath. This really wasn't good. He was burning up, his strength was decreasing fast… But he had to win! If he didn't, Luffy and the others would be killed. And he couldn't allow Luffy to go through the same pain he was in right now! "I'll win, I have to." The darkness simply rolled it's eyes and in a blink of an eye it launched itself towards his enemy. Ace had no time, or strength, to dodge the quick attack and found a fist connect with his breath was knocked out of him and he fell to the ground in pain, grabbing at his wound from Akainu that still hadn't fully healed. "O-Ow…"

"Always aim for a man's weak spot. Isn't that was your grandfather taught you?" The freckled male spat up blood and he tried his best to stand back up but found the process hard and slow. "Well, this scene certainly looks familiar." The darkness looked to each brother, a dark grin on it's shadowy face. "Except this time… There's nothing to save you." Dark fire lances were created in it's hands and Luffy glared on.

"Black fire?"

"Correct. I may not be able to create fire and launch it like my despicable host, but I can still create black fire with my body and attack with it. And this time, I'll complete what Ace and Akainu couldn't accomplish. He launched himself at Luffy who just barely dodged the attack. He rolled to the side, out of strength. Ace growled as he desperately tried to get to his feet.

"Leave him alone! Don't you dare touch him!" Ignoring the shouts of its hows, the darkness continued to try and pin the Strawhat teen to the deck with it's dark lances, poking numerous holes in the deck every time he missed.

"My, my. And here I thought your brother was all out of strength. You really are impressive, Strawhat." Luffy crawled forward to dodge another attack before rolling to the side to dodge yet another. The attacks seemed endless and Luffy didn't know how much longer he could keep this up, he couldn't even stand up to dodge them properly. But finally his legs gave out. "Too bad you're gonna die right now." The darkness brought down the smaller, thinner lance on Luffy's stomach and pinned him to the deck. Luffy let out a cry of pain and coughed up some blood. Ace's eyes widened with horror.

"_Luffy!_"

"Don't worry, it's not a fatal wound. But as for this next one, well, I can't make any promises." The darkness smirked evilly as he looked from Ace and back down to Luffy, raising the bigger lance high above his head. "Shinka… Shiranui!" Luffy's eyes widened as the lance started to come down over his heart and Ace suddenly felt his blood go cold.

"Ace!"

"_Luffy! LUFFY!_" Luffy shut his eyes tightly as the lance came down, preparing himself for the burst of pain he was about to feel if the attack didn't kill him. But after a few seconds, nothing happened. He wondered if he should open his eyes or not, afraid of what he might see. Was he dead already? Did the lance pierce his heart so fast… that he died without feeling anything? But he could feel something warm surrounding him, he could feel the heat hovering over his body. Slowly, he opened his eyes and felt his stomach turn to knots. Ace was kneeling over him with a dazed sort of look and what looked like the tiniest hint of a smile.

And protruding out of his right shoulder was a dark fire lance laced in deep crimson blood.

The freckled teen fell to the ground beside Luffy. Luffy stared in horror at his brother before looking up at the darkness who had a fire lance protruding from the middle of his chest. It slowly fell to its knees before also falling to the ground. Neither Ace's moved, neither one seemed to breathe. Luffy's heart began to race as tears pooled in his eyes. He reached for his unmoving brother shakily, afraid that his worst nightmare just came true. He went through this once, he wasn't about to go through it again. He touched his brother's shoulder to shake him, but pulled away at the hotness of his brother's skin. "A...Ace?" No response. Luffy began to panic. Ignoring his own wound, his tore his shirt off and applied pressure to his brother's wound in hopes to stop the bleeding. "Ace! Wake up! Come on, it hasn't been ten minutes! You're not dead so stop acting like you! _Ace_!" Ace barely managed to open his eyes, but even when he did, he had that dazed look on his face.

Too busy focusing on waking his brother up, Luffy didn't notice a dark mass rise from the ground behind him with a dark and serious scowl on its face. Without making a sound, it raised a lance in the air and brought down on the elder brother's war wound, giving a snarl of anger.

Ace's eyes widened in pain before his vision was overcome with darkness once again, leaving Luffy by himself screaming his brother's name.

**XxXxX  
****You know, I miss cliffhangers. Aren't they something else? I know the chapter's short, but not to worry! With only two more chapters remaining, this story is on the verge of being wrapped up! I was disappointed with this chapter for one obvious reason: I suck at writing fight scenes. It's one thing I don't think I'll be able to get the hang of describing. So after not updating for more than 2 years… I hope it was okay….? please give me feed back on what I should improve on! I know there's probably several vocab errors and my sentence structure ain't all that great. But anything else, please let me know! And I'm still taking requests! Don't forget**


	19. Chapter 18: To End It All

Depressed  
Chapter 18: To End It All

**Summary: This time, there is NO summary. :D Sorry~  
****Warning: I warned you all I suck at battle scenes. So… beware, horrible battle scenes ahead. :P**

**XxXxX  
****There is no defeat except for those who give up.  
****-Joseph B. Wirthlin  
****XxXxX**

_Ace's eyes widened unpin before his vision was overcome with darkness once again, leaving Luffy by himself screaming his brother's name.  
_

* * *

"_Ace! Open your eyes, dammit! ACE!"_ Luffy desperately tried to get his brother to open his eyes, but nothing had worked. "Please, no, this isn't happening again." He still applied pressure to the wounds, but it seemed futile. That last wound the darkness inflicted seemed to bleed continuously which scared Luffy. At this rate, Ace would probably die from blood loss than burning from the inside. Luffy lifted his shirt to see how bad the wound was and noticed it looked almost like it did at Marine Ford. Looking from the wound to the blood on his hands, his heart seemed to stop. All that blood on his hands, the blood of his brother. It seemed to overwhelm him, sending him into a deep daze. "Blood…" Behind him, the darkness staggered and had to lean against the railing to avoid falling to the ground. The wound Ace managed to inflict at last minute had nearly been fatal, barely missing its heart by mere inches.

"Damn… it…" It gave a harsh cough, pulling Luffy out of his trance. Both looked at each other, but the look Luffy was giving gave the darkness shivers. Luffy clenched his fists tightly and gently laid Ace's head on the ground, standing up while ignoring the pain from his new wound. "What's wrong, squirt… upset your brother's dead?"

"You… I'm going to kill you." Luffy's glare darkened even more as he took several steps towards the assaulter. "I'm going to kill you!" Luffy launched himself at the darkness with high speed and sent Dark Ace flying across the deck with a strong fist to the face. But the attack was double-edged because the movements and impact from the punch affected Luffy's wound, causing him to fall to his knees. The two-inch diameter wound squirted blood and Luffy let out a growl of frustration. He wanted to kill the darkness, he wanted to destroy it so badly, but his was starting to refrain him from doing so. Across the deck, the darkness gave a deep growl as it slowly made its way to its feet, a rather dark expression showing from its face.

"You? Kill _me_? Please, you couldn't even save your own–" Luffy rose to his feet, letting out a yell and throwing a barrage of powerful Gear 2nd attacks at his enemy. The darkness had to keep itself on its toes just to be able to dodge the onslaught of attacks the rubber brat was unleashing. _'This kid… How is he still standing?'_ A throbbing pain came from its wound and it flinched, giving Luffy the opportunity to land a hit.

"Gumu Gomu no Twin Jet Pistol!" The powerful attack sent the darkness through through two walls and nearly over the side of the ship. The enemy gasped for breath and groaned on the ground for a few seconds as Luffy made his over to it. "Don't you _dare_ think I'm going to let you get away with hurting my crew and trying to kill my brother." Luffy grabbed its arm and roughly jerked it to its feet before dealing another Gear 2nd attack.

"S-So… strong," the darkness grit its teeth as it tried to get back to its feet before the rubber male could deal another blow. It quickly created a black fireball in its hand and swiftly turned towards its enemy, shoving the black fire onto Luffy's wound with inhuman force. Luffy let out a howl of pain, leaving him open for an attack.

"Kurohigan!" Luffy had no time to dodge the attack and found himself being shot with firebullets, forcing him to take cover behind the mast with several bad burns. "Hidaruma." Black fire surrounded Luffy and he jumped through it in order to escape but found himself against a wall with no time to run. A hand shot out and restrained his hands above his head and punch to his wound knocked the wind out of him. "You're weak, brat. Face it, you'll never be pirate king if you can't even protect your brother who has about a few more minutes to live." The darkness raised its free hand, turning each of its fingers into lances. "Goodbye."

_Ace didn't know where he was, everything was dark around him. Where ever was, he was falling. He could feel the wind blowing past him as he fell farther and farther into the darkness. 'This is it,' he thought, feeling rather numb of any emotions. 'Without me there, Luffy's sure to die, along with his crew. I've truly lost everything now, all because I'm weak. If only I had I ran like Pop's said to, everything would have worked out. It's all my fault… I'm so weak.'_

_"Feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to fix anything." Ace's eyes widened at the voice and tried his best to look around. "I thought the Ace we knew would have never given up on a fight."_

_'That voice…' Ace looked around, desperate to find the source of the voice, but still saw nothing but black as he fell. "Marco! Where are you?"_

_"I'm right here," the voice replied and suddenly Marco was standing in front of Ace. They were in a grassy field under a starry night, the Moby Dick docked off shore not too far away. "Miss me?" Ace was speechless and felt like tackling the male in front of him in a hug. But then tears pooled in Ace's eyes and he clenched his fists looking at the ground._

_"Marco, I'm so sorry. You died trying to save me. I'm so–"_

_"Ace." The male spoke firmly and when the freckled teen looked up, he saw Whitebeard standing next to his friend. "We're not blaming you for our deaths. We knew that there was a possibility we wouldn't make it and we went for it anyway. So don't blame yourself, it's not your fault."_

_"My son, I'm glad that you're safe. We're entrusting the future to you and your brother. So don't let us down." Ace gave a nod and Whitebeard gave a smile. "Just like Roger…"_

_"We better not hear anymore whining from you now about our deaths, got it?" Marco smirked and Ace playfully punched him the arm._

_"What are you talking about, I don't whine, pineapple-head." Marco chuckled and Whitebeard gave a good laugh. "See ya later, freckles."_

_"Goodbye, Ace."_

_"Bye, Pops. Thanks you guys, for everything." Marco turned into his phoenix form and flew off in blue flames towards the Moby Dick and Whitebeard turned around to head for it too. "I promise I won't lose."_

The darkness raised its free hand, turning each of its fingers into lances. "Goodbye." Luffy suddenly realized that this was the end for him. No more adventures, no more sailing, no more nakama. This was how he was going to die, a weakling who wasn't able to protect those close to him. The lances where coming towards him now and yet, he wasn't scared at all. _'Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin… I'm sorry, but this is it.'_ The lances were an inch away from his face when suddenly a glimpse of something orange caught Luffy's attention. The darkness let out a quick gasp when three fire lances ran through it. One through its heart, one through its throat and one through its stomach. Its grip on Luffy's hands were gone and Luffy quickly moved away from as it fell to its knees in disbelief. It looked back and saw Ace standing there with a smirk despite his bleeding wounds. "H-How…? Where did you get the strength…"

"No one gets away with harming my little brother and his crew. Not while I'm alive." The darkness gave a growl before it started to dissipate into the air.

"D-Damn you… Ace…"

"Go to hell where you came from, you no longer rule over my life." The darkness turned to ash as it hit the ground and fluttered into the air with the wind, leaving the Merry Go in peace and quiet. Luffy turned to his brother with the happiest look he could muster, making the logia user grin. "Hey, Lu."

"Ace! You're alive!" Luffy ran over and hugged the male tightly and Ace hugged back with a chuckle.

"Of course I'm alive. You didn't think I'd leave my little brother alone now did you?" But the joyous moment was short lived when Ace winced and suddenly fell the ground in a puddle of blood. "D-Dammit that hurt." Across the deck, Luffy's nakama were finally starting to come to. Luffy ran over to them to make sure they were alright. Once he knew they were all okay, he quickly made his way to Chopper.

"Chopper, you have to treat Ace. He's really injured and he might die!" The small reindeer quickly got serious and ran over to the logia user. One glance told Chopper the whole story.

"This is bad, he's gonna die of blood loss at this rate. Robin, Zoro, I need your help. Zoro, take Ace down to the infirmary. Robin, I need you to get my medical supplies ready and bring a few up here quickly. Before I work on Ace, I want to at least wrap of Luffy's wounds. Sanji, I need you to cook up a little meat for Luffy and for Ace when I'm done with him. Nami, I need you to quickly find either an island to dock at or a calm spot in the ocean. I can't have the boat rocking while working on Ace. Usopp, when we get there, drop anchor. Luffy I need you lie down so I can check your wounds while we're getting Ace ready." Luffy nodded and watched as Zoro carried Ace out of sight, a concerned expression on his face.

"He'll be okay, right? I mean he barely made it before, he'll make it again this time right?" Chopper nodded, though he wasn't quite sure himself. Just by one glance he could tell the wounds were serious and the amount of blood lost was high. He glanced at the pools of blood off to the side and quickly grabbed Usopp's arm to pull him aside, seeing Luffy suddenly space out as he stared at the crimson liquid.

"Usopp, while I'm quickly patching Luffy up, I want you to try and clean this blood up. It's distressing Luffy and he shouldn't be stressed with the wounds he's got." Usopp gave a nod of understanding and quickly went to get a bucket and mop. The reindeer went over to Luffy and laid him down and inspected the wound. "You've lost a lot of blood. Luckily I still have some stocked from last time. You and Ace share the same blood type, correct?" Luffy gave a nod and grinned.

"Yeah, just like we were real blood brothers." Sanji entered the kitchen and stopped in his tracks at what he saw.

"What the hell happened to my kitchen!" Luffy and Chopper glanced up towards the hysterical cook. "Why are there two holes in here? And where is the table!"

"You must have put up one heck of a fight," Chopper commented and Robin appeared with the medical supplies he needed. Luffy laughed.

"Sorry Sanji! And yeah, I kicked the darkness' butt a few times." The doctor patched his wound temporarily and bandaged it before giving an approved nod.

"Alright, now this is temporary so no running around. I'll be back to finish up after Ace is okay. Robin, keep an eye on him please. Nami, have you found a calm area yet?"

"Yeah, we'll arrive there in a few minutes. I'll tell Usopp to weigh anchor as soon as we reach it."

"Okay, I'll be back." Chopper made his way to the infirmary and Luffy gave a small sigh, catching Robin's attention.

"I hope Ace will be okay… He got injured protecting me again." Robin rubbed his back soothingly in hopes of comforting him.

"Don't worry, Captain-san. Ace is strong, he'll make it."

"I hope so…" Things turned quiet for a while as Luffy sat there watching Usopp pull a mop out to clean up the all the blood. Luffy stood up and made his way to his marksman and took the mop from him. "It's okay, Usopp. I can clean this up." Usopp shot a glance over to Robin to see if it was okay and she gave a nod.

"Are you sure? You should be resting right now." Luffy grinned as usual.

"I'm fine! But I'm not so sure about Sanji. I think you should probably start fixing that up for him before he explodes." Usopp chuckled.

"Alright, just don't push yourself, alright?" Luffy looked down at the crimson liquid and felt his stomach knot up. It reminded him so much of Marine Ford. Pushing the thoughts and memories aside, he dipped the mop in the bucket and swiftly began to clean it up, praying his brother would survive another round of surgery.

**XxXxX  
****Okay, so there will be one last chapter after this. :D I hope this was okay? Sorry if some parts were confusing, like I warned, I suck at fight scenes. I finally got to re-watch some One Piece episodes, but only up to the end of Alabasta arc. :/ But still, I saw Ace~! Gods I miss him. I'm sure all we fangirls do! I've also taken quite a good interest in Marco. I think he's gonna be one of my top favorites. :3 He's so cool, him and his phoenix zoan powers~! I like the mischievous side of him, or the annoyed side when Ace irritates him. XD  
****Please leave a review! And we're still taking requests! :D  
****(Sorry for any mistakes I made. I'm so sore from climbing rocks and jumping around rivers. So sorry~**


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